As Africa continues to attract significant Chinese investment, the Biden administration's policy towards the continent, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris' engagement, will be closely watched for any shifts in US priorities.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is on a nine-day tour of Africa that includes stops in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia. But while Harris has strenuously avoided making references to Washington’s rivals, the growing competition for influence in Africa between the U.S. and China nonetheless loomed large during Harris’ tour.

In Kenya and South Africa, cost-of-living protests.

Citizens in Kenya and South Africa took to the streets this week to protest the skyrocketing cost of living and the decline in the quality of public goods and services. But the protests also raise vital questions about the limits of elections and their ability to engender broader democratic accountability.