My must read of the day is "US opens Africa summit with call for political tolerance," by AFP:
The United States urged African leaders on Monday to respect political differences, saying that core democratic principles are vital to achieving long-term economic growth.
The call came at the start of an unprecedented US-Africa summit in Washington attended by 35 presidents, nine prime ministers, three vice presidents, two foreign ministers, and a king. […]
Washington is seeking stronger economic ties with Africa, having found itself outpaced by China and Europe on a continent where the International Monetary Fund expects to see 5.4 percent growth this year and 5.8 the next.
But, in a sharp contrast to China's business-first approach, US leaders first addressed democracy and civil rights concerns.
This summit is meant to predominately focus on economic opportunities, and it has been reported that no meetings will be held on the rule of law or human rights issues. It’s good that they are being touched on in other ways. Maybe it would be "bad form" to invite African leaders to the summit and then lecture them on proper ways of behavior, but it would be negligent to not acknowledge it.
Right now the United States has sanctions on six different African countries. Africa is full of promise, but if there’s going to be a U.S.-Africa partnership that is actually meaningful, things like human rights need to be addressed. That’s not lecturing or being paternalistic. That’s articulating what we believe and have come to recognize as Americans—that a country’s greatest success is achieved when all of your people are treated fairly and with dignity.