China Challenges US Hegemony in Africa

China has managed to occupy the position of the US as the first world power in the Black Continent.

The survey found that median approval ratings of the U.S. slipped from 59 percent in 2022 to 56 percent in 2023, while China rose from 52 percent to 58 percent in that same period, The Hill reported on Wednesday.

The survey asked people in 36 African countries about four global superpowers: the U.S., China, Russia, and Germany. The U.S. was the only power that didn’t see its approval increase across Africa at least slightly in the latest poll.

The highest approval rating of the U.S. in Africa was held in 2009 when 85 percent of Africans approved of the country’s leadership. It dipped to its lowest point, 51 percent, in 2017.

China’s highest approval rating was at 72 percent in 2011 but has hovered around 50 percent in recent years until its six-percentage point jump last year. The largest increase in approval came from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal, the survey found.

Gallup noted that China’s improved rating may come from its increased investment in the continent. It’s now Africa’s biggest trading partner.