guest column:David Monyae THE Donald Trump administration has had a dismissive and patronising approach to Africa, with the United States President describing the continent in very insulting and derogatory ways, calling some African countries “shitholes”. However, if the US wants to maintain its place at the pinnacle of the global pecking order, it needs Africa. The 2020 US presidential election is crucial and consequential for many reasons, ranging from America’s domestic issues such as race and the economy, to international issues such as America’s moral and political standing and influence in the world. The Trump administration has lived up to the expectations and fears that Trump represented during his eccentric 2016 campaign. He has inflamed racial sentiment in domestic affairs, embraced conspiracy theorists that support him and withdrawn America from international treaties and agreements that he thought were to America’s detriment. He has also upped the ante in attacking China, the country that poses the greatest threat to America’s enduring standing as the most influential global power. The coronavirus pandemic, which Trump calls “the China virus”, has added another complication to global politics, and to China-America rivalry in particular. America’s handling of the pandemic has been stunningly ineffectual and to deflect the backlash Trump has had to blame Democrats and some specialists within the US, and of course China at the international level. Indeed, the Sino-American rivalry has conjured up the spectre of a new Cold War. The prospect of an emerging Cold War has global consequences because it means the rest of the world will be compelled to pick on which side its sympathies lie. This is likely to have major implications for Africa, a continent that needs strong relations with more developed regions of the world. Africa is also susceptible to superpower hectoring because of its weak economic situation and attendant lesser influence on global affairs. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has had a dismissive and patronising approach to Africa. Africa could scarcely forget that Trump described it in very insulting and derogatory ways. However, if the US wants to maintain its place at the pinnacle of the global pecking order, it needs Africa. Africa is the youngest continent, with almost 60% of the population under the age of 25, and its population is set to grow exponentially in the next 50 years. The US appreciates this, even though Trump’s actions might suggest otherwise. The fight against global terrorism, which has been a vital preoccupation of the US since 2001, can be assured of success only if Africa is brought to its centre. Lack of development in Africa creates a conducive environment for disgruntled citizens to gravitate towards extremist groups that rebel against ineffectual and corrupt governments. In addition, mobilisation towards terrorist groups might escalate in Africa because the young population will continue to grow, adding more potential converts to terrorist groups, especially if Af