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Barack Obama

Tichaona Zindoga Harare Bureau
US President Barrack Obama erred in not inviting President Mugabe to the US-Africa Summit held last month as this exclusion compromised the effectiveness of the discussions.
This was said by Takunda Chingonzoh, the National University of Science and Technology student and entrepreneur who made headlines last month when he grilled the US leader in Washington over illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

Chingonzoh told our Harare Bureau from Washington where he is taking part in the US-sponsored Young African Leaders Initiative, that America should not cherry-pick African leaders for continental engagements.

“I believe that when you discuss issues to do with Africans you need all Africans present and when you discuss issues to do with the youth, you want to include all the youth,” he said.

“So, I would like to believe that when you are talking about investments in Africa, it’s supposed to be a continent-wide thing and participatory.
“The effectiveness of the summit was compromised. It would have been best if all Presidents had been there to participate.

“The reasons why my President was not invited are complicated in their own nature, but I think it would have been more effective (if he was invited).
“We are talking about regional integration; projects across Africa and to have inter-Africa trade. So, to have discussions like that I think it would have been better if my President had been present because we are part of Africa.”

Chingonzoh said the fact that President Mugabe was the Sadc chairperson and the next chairperson of the AU meant that the relationship between Africa and the US would be tenuous.

“You cannot isolate certain pockets of Africa when you are doing business within Africa,” he said.
The US hosted 50 African leaders at the inaugural summit in Washington to counter growing China-African relations.

Analysts noted the duplicity of America, which ostensibly is unhappy with lack of democracy in Zimbabwe, yet the US leader wined and dined with some notable autocrats from the continent.