Bangladesh, Aug. 9 -- The intensifying competition between the United States and China has increasingly placed Africa at the center of global strategic calculations. In Washington, policymakers and analysts are expressing growing concern over Beijings expanding economic footprint across the African continent, arguing that the United States risks losing influence unless it responds with greater investment, stronger trade initiatives, and deeper engagement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Yet framing Africa primarily as an arena of geopolitical competition overlooks a far more important reality: African countries are not passive participants in a contest between great powers. They are independent nations pursuing their...