Ethiopia: Barack Obama’s belated Journey of love

In was on August 30, 2006 that Barack Obama made his first trip to Ethiopia to visit displaced people in the eastern city Dire Dawa. Three weeks earlier, flooding caused by heavy rains had killed more than 600 people and displaced tens of thousands of people in the area. U.S navy, based in neighboring Djibouti,  were taking part in relief operations setting up canvas tents (furnished with straw mats and basic necessities) for housing purposes.

No one could have guessed, the then Senator Obama was the next President of the United States of America.

Fast forward to 2013, following Obama’s first visit to Africa as President, when he launched the 7 billion Dollars “Power Africa Initiative”, Ethiopia was included among the six benefiting countries .

In September 2014, during a bilateral meeting Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in New York, President Obama made a sensational remark by hailing Ethiopia’s bright spots and enormous progress in a country that once had great difficulty feeding itself. He took Ethiopia’s fastest economic growth as a model to the African Continent. He also praised Ethiopia’s difference maker leaders and its counterterrorism, peacekeeping and conflict resolution efforts as an example to the world.Photo - President Barack Obama

In August last year, under Obama’s administration, the White House hosted a huge Washington summit of African leaders. Obama has previously visited Ghana, Egypt, Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa in 2013. He was last here in December 2013 attending the funeral of Nelson Mandela. At the time, he indicated that he would visit Africa at least one more time during his presidency.

Come July, Barack Obama will visit Ethiopia in his final African tour as a president. He will become the first sitting US president to visit Ethiopia. The trip is intended to build on progress towards closer economic ties, according to White House press release. In Ethiopia, he will discuss how to “accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and improve security’, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.

This trip will be the President’s fourth visit to Africa. Obama will travel to his father’s native country, Kenya (also his first trip to Kenya as president) before he comes to Ethiopia for bilateral meetings and the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, an annual conference that aims to connect entrepreneurs with organizations, governments and business leaders. President

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the motherland of black people and a gateway to Africa since its heroic victory against colonial fascists at Adwa. The country’s recent past has been characterized by dictatorships, serious conflict and devastating famines. However, since the overthrow of the Dictator, Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam, by a former guerrilla fighter group and the now dominant party, EPRDF, Ethiopia has made dramatic progress, including adoption of a new federalist constitution, which solved the root problem of the country with more than 88 nations and nationalities with different historical background, culture and language, and religion.

Beginning from the late 90’s, after securing internal political stability on basis of self-determination stance, Ethiopia officially declared a war on poverty led by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who was widely seen as architecture and a father of New Ethiopia. Under Meles, the country had made transformational and far-reaching economic reforms by making its alpha and omega effort an input to the war on poverty. This enabled the country to achieve one of the highest consecutive growth rates in the world.

It is a misfortune to be a landlocked country in the unstable horn of Africa. However, Ethiopia focused on bringing peace and stability by shaping its well-defined foreign policy regionally and become one of best ally of US in fighting against terrorism, and gained regional, continental, and global recognition in bringing peace and stability and as preferred diplomatic mediator throughout the continent. In addition, Ethiopia made a successful regional economic integration progress smoothly.

Nowadays, it looks time is on Ethiopia’s side as its leaders are making a difference. In addition to its fatly growing economy, political stability and lucrative investment opportunities made Ethiopia one of the best destination for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) not only in the continent but also in the world. Ethiopia, under EPRDF leadership, is on the way to be one of the world light industrial hub, and that is why all want to be a good friend. The continental headquarter (AU) is here in Africa’s capital, Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa now became a New York of Africa, where politics, diplomacy, and business had a continental value. Ethiopia is a gateway to Africa. Anyone wants to be here.

Late Journey of Love

Barack Obama was the result of democratic U.S citizens and the pride of black people. Even though, expectations were dashed among black peoples and Africans at Obama’s Presidential era. Regardless of its economic status and regimes, Ethiopia is the best place a proud black people can live in and it is a choice and a pride of black people. When he visit Ethiopia for the second time, both Obama and Ethiopia will fall in a late Journey of love at the 11th hour of his presidency.

No doubt, Barack Obama will receive nationwide warm reception in Ethiopia. He will be awarded many honors from government, institutions, and different organizations. He will receive dozen of historical and cultural gifts. He will make sensational remarks about Ethiopia again. More or less Obama will feel a comfortable and at home in Ethiopia.

President Obama will get a chance to see black people fighting poverty with growing success and a more bright future. More, he will get a chance to share his experience and he can even shape his Post-Presidential era’s plan to be a partner of this exemplary nation.

Obama’s stressed mind, can take refreshments by enjoying with a nation achieving his campaign motto “YES WE CAN’!

Ethiopians need Obama both as U.S president and as a black individual who is at its self-actualization stage. Obama is not only the President of world super power to Ethiopians, but also their prestige figure black person. Regardless of Obama’s administration impotent presidential era, his cautious friendliness for blacks, his lackluster health and immigration policies, and his vague foreign policy, he wants to make his administration and his name bold in the root of Africa, Ethiopia. He wants to be there in history too.

Economically, the President can fasten US companies’ economic benefit in form of investment following the foot of the continental choice, Chinese companies, even though it looks too late. U.S Companies pre-condition of privatizing financial sector and Liberalizing economic policies had been a barrier to their Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Ethiopia. Ethiopia as a Developmental Democratic State in progress needs a diversified Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to reduce external influence and take huge return upon the rivalry expected. That is how to deal with the current Global Order-as one of the best policies of the continental icon, the late PM Meles showed.

Obama will see how the current global order is at odds with Africa. He will taste how the leaders based in Addis set to deliver a fresh asymmetric shock to the global order, taking its place as the latest emerging market. He will digest how the science of developmental democratic state is the secret behind the bright future of Africa. He can understand why Horn of African society is leading continental resistance to the oldie colonial and neoliberal political order hidden under umbrella of the so-called Democracy and Human Right International Institutions.

Upon his trip, President Obama will make a difference in strengthening democratic institutions of Ethiopia as leaders in Addis are interested in any useful and inclusive reforms. He will add value to Ethiopia’s anti-poverty struggle, as Ethiopia will also add value to his Presidential era. Even though, it is a late Journey of Love.

Let’s wait for Air Force One landing in the diplomatic capital of Africa.

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Abdulbasit Abdusemed

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