Elumelu to Clinton, Trump: On US-Africa policy, somethings don’t need to change

Mr Tony Elumelu, UBA Chairman, has urged both Mr Donald Trump and Mrs Hillary Clinton, the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates respectively not to bother to change some things about US-Africa policy.

Elumelu, who was the Keynote Speaker at the US Senator Chris Coons’ Opportunity Africa Conference 2016, in Delaware at the weekend, said whichever of the two presidential hopefuls that emerges victorious at the polls should rather work towards expanding and scaling up the policy.

The UBA chairman noted, “We need more U.S. engagement in Africa through mutually beneficial trade and investment.”

He added, “That is exactly what I, and 200 other US and African political and business leaders including President Obama and over 30 African Presidents, will be discussing next week at the US-Africa Business Forum in New York- how to strengthen mutually beneficial economic ties between the African and American peoples.”

According to Elumelu, “If we give our people the economic tools to thrive, living standards increase, the political challenges that Africa faces can be tackled and fundamental positive change can be assured.”

He called on the next US President to work in Shared Purpose with Africans on implementing innovative solutions to the complex but surmountable challenges in Africa.

Challenging the American electorate, he said, “When you meet, write, call and email your political candidates and representatives and the elected President in November, tell them that when it comes to Africa, you want more. And by “more”, I mean more engagement, more positively impactful policies and more development and commercial investment in Africa.”

He stressed, “I am an unashamed optimist and I believe that by working together, in Shared Purpose, which is what Africapitalism is about,  we can help usher in economic transformation that will ensure Africa is  a critical player in the 21stcentury global economy.”