The ace up Botswana’s sleeve at US-Africa Summit

They may call each other ‘brothers’ and pass ‘fraternal greetings’ at every opportunity.

And indeed they are. But African countries are also each other’s rivals for foreign investor attention, the kind that brings in capital, skills transfer, job creation, economic deepening, and for many countries the possibility that the investor will export back to their home country and generate valuable foreign currency. This is not to say African countries aren’t also trying to boost investment and trade amongst each other.