our views

The Africa Report, Oct 11, 2021; by Rosa Whitaker

A  prosperous, healthy and self-reliant Africa, on a sustainable,  carbon-neutral trajectory to industrialization and urbanization driven  by its extraordinary natural endowments, is not a nice-to-have. It is a  must-have. But the only people who can make it happen are Africans  themselves, unencumbered by the self-serving ministrations of colonial  powers, both the old and the new ones that pretend to be something else...We  must first listen to Africa’s collective aspirations and respond  impactfully, whether by creating tax incentives for private US  investments in Africa or by leveraging our bond market to support  Africa’s infrastructure development. Read on our blog.

Newsweek, May 25, 2021; by Rosa Whitaker

No country in the world has developed economically with an aid-based model—why would African countries be any different? Our economic policy toward Africa is faltering primarily because we continue to welcome and build a dysfunctional network of aid peddlers instead of properly incentivizing trade and investment—proven catalysts for job creation and income expansion on the ground where it is needed most. For post-COVID reconstruction, we must reimagine what is possible in U.S.-Africa trade and investment policy. We must disrupt the antiquated aid model and build a bold new approach. We must incentivize the U.S. private sector to invest in Africa in transformative and mutually beneficial ways. Read on our blog.

U.S. News & World Report, December 4, 2020; by Rosa Whitaker & Gail Strickler

Many are looking to President-elect Biden's administration to drive a positive trade agenda that respects stakeholder input on issues such as labor standards and the environment. Trade preferences, if well designed, and trade agreements, if skillfully negotiated, are powerful tools both for improving the competitiveness of our workers at home and raising labor and environmental standards globally. So, who should President-elect Biden nominate as his USTR to tackle these challenges? Our unequivocal — and unbidden — recommendation is Katherine Tai, the House Ways and Means Committee's chief trade counsel, who previously served as USTR's chief counsel for China trade enforcement . Read on our blog.

U.S. News & World Report, November 2, 2020;  by Jendayi Frazer and Rosa Whitaker 

Since 2016, the Trump administration has energetically pushed a strong indictment against the WTO...With the WTO director-general post now open, the Trump team has hit the pause button...Okonjo-Iweala is a triple-threat in the realm of global commerce. She is regarded as an authoritative diplomatic voice in both the United States and the developing world...She would be immediately acclaimed by those impatient for a fairer contest in global trade, and immediately feared by those who have not been playing by the rules. Read on our blog. 

U.S. News & World Report, June 3, 2020; by Rosa Whitaker & Stephen Lande

Africa has seen its jobs offshored for centuries. As colonies, Africa’s embryonic nations were set up to supply industrialized economies with low-cost raw materials which they would then have to buy back as manufacturers, value having been added far from their shores. This baked in a pernicious paradigm that stifled the continent’s post-independence industrialization and kept its markets small, disconnected and starved of investment.  Read on our blog.