President Uhuru Kenyatta's presence at the US -Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington amounted to an attempt to prod Uncle Sam out of his slumber.
Even as some journalists see the first US-Africa Leaders Summit as little more than an attempt by Washington to counter China's presence in Africa, others are seeing it as a great opportunity for African countries to diversify their economic partners.
During an international workshop at Peking University recently, a Chinese lecturer, Professor Li Anshan, said Africa needs fair trade rather than aid and handouts.
The news media in Tanzania has widely portrayed the just ended US-Africa Leaders as an attempt by the US to regain influence in the country that it has lost to China.
Over the past few months, Cameroonian media coverage of the first summit between the United States and Africa canvassed the question of whether President Paul Biya of Cameroon should even attend the event. That was based on the website of the US Secretary of State saying that recent Cameroonian elections had not been fully democratic.
By all accounts, the United States which generally prides itself on being a trendsetter, is essentially a "Johnny come lately" to the Africa Rising story. As if to make amends, US President Barack Obama held the largest ever gathering of African heads of state and business leaders in Washington DC from Aug 4 to 6. The effort goes to show the seriousness with which his administration sees the need for a reset in US-Africa relations.
After witnessing Washington's attempt to pull off an extraordinary turnaround in its relations with Africa the US-Africa Leaders Summit, it's time to return to reality.
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The media in Rwanda had a field day covering the Washington summit, picking up various story angles as they dissected the aftermath and what it means for Africa's development.
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