Another round of consultations on Canada’s Africa ‘approach’ extends two-year wait for rethink

The delay for the federal government's African policy revamp continues to grow, with another round of public consultations recently launched as experts and advocates lament the continued wait for the new plan. More than two years ago, the Liberal government revealed it was developing a “foreign policy strategy” for engaging Africa, but within a year that plan was downgraded to a “framework.” When the government announced the launch of public consultations on Aug. 14, it used the framing of an “approach to partnerships in Africa.” “I’m a little bit perplexed that, two years in, we would be launching such a wide-ranging consultation with a very short timeframe,” said Nicholas Coghlan, a former Canadian ambassador to South Sudan and resident diplomat in Sudan. The consultation lists 12 groups that the government wants to hear from, including the Canadian public, academics, Indigenous organizations, academics, African diaspora communities, and civil society groups, among others. Consultations are set to wrap up on Sept. 15. “You’re going to be left with massive input, which may take you back to square one,” Coghlan said, remarking that many who will offer input have already been heard from. “I think the general sense … is that it’s been more than two years. Let’s really see a concrete document with measures and changes that stem from it within the next year of the life of this government,” he said. “Let’s see something implemented before they leave office.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, met with African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki in Ottawa in October 2022. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade “With another round of consultations, there is a sense of more delays more delays, more consultations, more readjustments—how long is it going to be before we really see something?” Coghlan questioned. The idea for a re-imagined Canadian policy for Africa was first referenced in International Trade Minister Mary Ng's (Markham-Thornhill, Ont.) 2021 mandate letter, which instructed her to develop an economic co-operation strategy. Later, in the summer of 2022, Liberal MP Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West, Ont.), parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.), told The Hill Times he was developing a “foreign policy strategy” that he hoped to submit to cabinet by December of that year. By spring of 2023, Joly had signalled that the plan was being developed as a framework, which had some African experts concerned that the policy being developed would be less ambitious in scope. At the same time, public consultations were launched for a proposed strategy on economic co-operation with Africa, which finished in July 2023. The latest public consultations were announced by all three Global Affairs Canada (GAC) ministers —Joly, Ng, and International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen (York South-Weston, Ont.). In the past, observers raised concern that a siloed approach was being taken by the government when devising its African policy, which divided diplomacy and trade. Elise Legault, the Canada director for the ONE Campaign, said having the announcement by all three ministers is positive. “We need an initiative that brings together trade, diplomacy, and development,” she said. “In the past sort of two years, things were a little disjointed between different departments, but it does seem like they're all working together now.” She said she hopes this will be the last round of consultations before the government publishes a plan. “The opportunities in Africa are really massive,” said Legault, remarking that as the globe suffers from declining youth populations in the workforce, Africa will be the exception. “Unless Canada is at the table, we will miss out on a huge opportunity.” She said given the time that it has taken for a plan to be released, there is a growing sense of impatience. “But, it’s better that they do it right and with some level of ambition,” Legault said, adding that she hopes to see the same kind of Canadian commitment to Africa as was announced for the Indo-Pacific in 2022 when the government released its $2.3-billion strategy for the region. International Trade Minister Mary Ng, right welcomed her African Union Commission counterpart Albert Muchanga to Ottawa in May 2023. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade “What is really important is really the ambition, the commitment, financial investments included,” she said. The government’s seeming unwillingness to stick with a definition of what type of plan it is developing has led many to question its level of enthusiasm. “In the last 12 months, we’ve seen it go from a strategy to a framework, and then at the last meeting, we were told that it’s now an approach. This is a deeply unserious way to engage with the continent of Africa,” said NDP MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, Alta.) during an April 15 meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. On April 10, senior GAC official Cheryl Urban said the government hadn’t given a name to its rethink for Africa. Both the House committee and the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee are currently undergoing studies on Canada’s engagement with Africa. As the wait for a plan continues to grow, Joly headed to Africa, visiting Ivory Coast on Aug. 19 and 20, with plans to travel to South Africa on Aug. 21 and 22. While in Ivory Coast, Joly announced $1-million in funding for Africa’s mpox response. King’s University College political science professor Thomas Tieku, an expert on African politics, said after raising expectations in 2022, there's a greater realization that not creating any African policy is not an option. “Some people are reading their briefings carefully now because they realize it will be very strange, unattainable, and to some extent, very weird if Canada does not have any major policy pronouncement during its G7 presidency,” he said. Canada is set to assume the G7 presidency in 2025. Tieku said the delay in releasing a plan for African engagement has given the Canadian government an optics issue in the continent. “The optics have not been good at all for the Liberal government,” he said. “ have gotten to the point that they’ve adopted a wait-and-see attitude ‘Let’s see if they will do it.’” “Initially, they were excited about the first time Canada would come out with an African strategy, then it died down,” Tieku said. “Not many people are too optimistic of Canada coming out with a bolder strategy for Africa, but it’s a perception that at least something will come out of this.” He said previously there was a wrongheaded fear that developing an African strategy would take away from the Indo-Pacific strategy. “I think there’s a realization that Global Affairs can multitask. It can do an Indo-Pacific strategy … and also do an African strategy,” he said. In April, NDP MP Heather McPherson called the government's reframing of its African rethink 'deeply unserious.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Tieku said a strategy for Africa will only enhance Canada’s plan for the Indo-Pacific as one calculation will be the scale of influence China has on the continent. He said that if Canada doesn’t reveal its rethink towards Africa, it will suffer significant reputational damage. “I think that certainly is the calculation of senior policymakers,” he said. “The reputational damage will be too huge, and I think that’s the way they’re calculating it.” Balsillie School of International Affairs director Ann Fitz-Gerald said the uncertainty surrounding the development of Canada’s new Africa plan doesn’t send out a message of confidence. “It started off as a strategy, and I think this was very exciting,” she said. “The idea of a strategy, which really should nail down clear objectives and priorities, engendered a lot of excitement.” As no concrete plan has yet to be released, Fitz-Gerald said it leaves many who specialize in the continent wondering what areas will be a focus for the government when developing its work. “The utility of having strategies that nail down three or four critical areas that a country will not only pursue, but also resource properly, gives the sense of predictability of Canada’s role on the continent,” she said. “In the past, that predictability has not been as strong as it could be.” The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Independent Senator Peter Boehm, started a study on Canada's engagement in Africa in late 2023. The House Foreign Affairs Committee followed suit earlier this year. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade “What Canada now needs to do is build on the momentum it created and avoid changing words that describe whatever document is going to roll out of these consultations,” Fitz-Gerald said, remarking that the plan should have achievable—and not aspirational—objectives that underpin Canada's relationship with Africa. She said the two-year wait for the release of the plan risks leaving a sense of ambiguity, and a lack of predictability for Canada’s role on the continent. nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times The long wait for a Canadian rethink on Africa December 2021: The mandate letter for International Trade Minister Mary Ng includes a commitment to develop a strategy for economic co-operation with Africa. June 2022: Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announces that Canada will have a dedicated permanent observer to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as opening a new high commission in Rwanda. July 2022: Liberal MP Robert Oliphant, parliamentary secretary to Joly, tells The Hill Times he is developing a “foreign policy strategy” for engagement with Africa that he hopes to present to cabinet by the beginning of December. May 2023: Joly starts to call the planned rethink of African engagement a “framework” instead of a “strategy,” as reported by the Canadian Press, leading some to question if the plan is being downgraded. Oliphant tells The Hill Times the budget for the plan has yet to be considered. May 2023: Public consultations are launched on a proposed economic co-operation strategy with Africa, which conclude at the end of July 2023. December 2023: The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee begins a study on Canada’s “interests and engagement in Africa.” January 2024: The House Foreign Affairs Committee adopts a motion to study Canada’s approach to Africa. April 2024: Asked by MPs on the House committee about what is being considered for Canada’s rethink with Africa—"We started with a strategy, which then became a framework, and ended up being an approach. Is that right?" Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron questioned—a senior Global Affairs Canada official said that it doesn’t have a name at the moment. August 2024: Public consultations are launched on Canada’s “approach to partnerships in Africa.” The consultations are expected to conclude by Sept. 15.

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Another round of consultations on Canada’s Africa ‘approach’ extends two-year wait for rethink

What was once a 'strategy' for African engagement and later a 'framework,' is now being billed as an 'approach.'

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