We’re Making Great Progress in Africa, Say Biden Administration Officials

They tell a Washington conference that projects designed to develop continent are unfolding, including digital transformation, health, and infrastructure.

Dr. Felipe Lobelo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (L) and Special Assistant to the President for Justice and Regulatory Policy Tino Cuellar (R) at a town hall meeting about the government's efforts to control the impact of the H1N1 virus, on May 8, 2009, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—Just over a year has passed since the Biden administration launched a new strategy in Africa, seen by many analysts as a response to an already-large Chinese presence, and Russia’s expanding footprint on a continent that continues to be beset by poverty, coups, corruption, and war.

In August 2022, the “U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa” document set out a bold vision for “21st century U.S.–Africa partnership.”