Africa-Press – Lesotho. Handsomely compensated in order to influence the policies of American decision-makers, the lobbying firms of the renowned K Street also have a growing number of African clients.
From Kinshasa to Ouagadougou via Tunis, we delve into the opaque and lucrative market of influence. Lobbying in Washington is, on its face, very transparent.
Since 1938, firms with foreign clients are required to report their activities to the Department of Justice, with their identity and a detailed list of actions performed every year.
However, the reality of the work of American lobbyists is often fantasised. Here, they are believed to be capable of influencing an election, while there, they are believed to be able to influence the African policy of US presidents.
Whatever their true impact, these firms are flourishing on the continent. The number of their African clients – both governmental and non-governmental – continues to grow.
The five countries that use them most regularly include Liberia, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, and DRC. In Kinshasa, American influence is particularly strong. For several years, representatives of the government and the opposition have been in the habit of hiring the services of the cabinet.
With the next presidential election scheduled for the end of 2023, Félix Tshisekedi, and presidential candidates Moïse Katumbi, and Martin Fayulu are no exception to the rule.
Among the hundred or so lobbyists, such as Brian Ballard or Joseph Szlavik, working on K Street, the avenue that has earned the city the “capital of influence” moniker, there exists certain shady figures, such as the Israeli-Canadian Ari Ben-Menashe.
This controversial businessman has notably been involved in polishing the image of Burkinabe Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. Finally, in the last part of our investigation, we were interested in the mysterious $10m contract signed by Algerian businessman Ali Haddad, a contract which the former businessman claims to know nothing about.
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