Kenya’s candidate for the supremacy task on the African Union Fee, Raila Odinga, has mentioned that if United States President-elect Donald Trump does now not wish to have interaction with Africa, the continent has “other friends” keen to step in.
In an interview with AFP in Addis Ababa on Saturday, Odinga, a veteran Kenyan baby-kisser, expressed wary optimism about Trump’s stance on Africa following his victory in the United States presidential election.
Odinga, who’s one among 4 applicants vying to switch Moussa Mahamat as the top of the African Union Fee then 12 months, mentioned that date he does now not wish to prejudge Trump, Africa is discoverable to operating with the U.S. if the president-elect is keen.
“I don’t want to prejudge him,” Odinga mentioned. “If he wants to work with Africa as a friend of Africa, we will welcome him and work with him. If he does not want to work with Africa… Africa has got other friends.”
Odinga’s feedback got here amid ongoing festival for affect in Africa, a continent of over 1.5 billion crowd, with powers akin to China, Russia, and Turkey all vying for partnerships along Western countries.
In spite of Trump’s debatable remarks all through his first time period, the place he referred to African international locations as “shithole” countries, Odinga gave the impression untroubled.
“No, it doesn’t worry me at all because that was Trump then. This is now another new Trump. So, we want to see the new Trump, the one we are going to deal with,” Odinga mentioned.
The 79-year-old baby-kisser, who has run unsuccessfully for the Kenyan presidency 5 occasions, is now specializing in his marketing campaign for the African Union Fee chair.
He’s dealing with sturdy festival from Mahamoud Youssouf, Djibouti’s long-serving international minister, together with Anil Gayan from Mauritius and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.
The election for the unused African Union Fee chair will speed park by way of undisclosed poll all through the February 2025 zenith.