ISLP was cited in the Center for Global Development’s (CGD) recent analysis on “Prosper Africa” as an organization capable providing technical support to African governments in various negotiation processes such as negotiating loans, public-private partnership agreements, production sharing agreements, and mineral development agreements with bilateral and private sector partners.
The “Prosper Africa” initiative seeks to “open markets for American businesses, grow Africa’s middle class, promote youth employment opportunities, improve the business climate, [and] increase two-way trade between Africa and the United States” (U.S. Economic Engagement in Africa). Prior to this new policy, U.S. engagement with Africa was predominantly based on foreign assistance.
As CGD Visiting Fellow W. Gyude Moore explained in his analysis of “Prosper Africa,” the establishment of Africa’s ambitious Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) created the opportunity for greater engagement with the continent and will be of mutual benefit to both the U.S. and Africa. This initiative offers a renewed avenue of U.S. economic engagement with Africa and, according to Moore, it can also help the AfCFTA fulfill its promise of connectivity, industrial development, job creation, and improved quality of life.
The pro bono legal services that organizations like ISLP provide can assist developing countries in avoiding skewed outcomes that undermine the promise of just, accountable, and inclusive development.