African leaders from 49 countries and the AU had gathered this week in Washington for a three-day summit that began on Tuesday, with the focus on climate change, food security, trade partnerships and other issues.
The summit is the first of its kind since the one in 2014 under President Barack Obama, himself the son of an African father. To kick it off, the Biden administration has pledged $55 billion for food security, climate change, trade partnerships and other issues.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced he would support the African Union’s joining the G20 group of large economies as a permanent member, part of Washington's efforts to reinvigorate ties with a region that has taken a back seat to other priorities in recent years.
Biden's remarks, and the summit, aim to position the United States as a partner to African countries amid competition with China, which has sought to expand its influence there by funding infrastructure projects on the continent and elsewhere.
The French-Tunisian businessman Mohamed Ayachi Ajroudi received the Africa Business Pioneer Award from the Africa Business Council and the African Union (AU), during the US- Africa Leaders Summit.
“It has been such an honor to receive the Africa Business Pioneer Award for my contribution to Africa’s Industrialization and Economic Development from the Africa Business Council and the African Union, during the US- Africa Leaders Summit hosted by Joe Biden in Washington D.C.,” he said to Majalla.
Ajroudi is a well-known engineer, businessman and politician who uses his African origins as a "successful weapon" to restore France's prestige in the European Union. In addition, he is the owner of the France-based Tunisian Al Janoubia TV channel.
Ajroudi is well-known for his investments in renewable energy. His innovations opened multiple markets for his projects, so he has had opportunities to set up renewable energy and agricultural developments in the Gulf, France, and some African countries. Ajroudi participated in the French presidential elections in April 2022, but he did not succeed in becoming the twelfth president of the Fifth French Republic.
