DA employs American lobbying firm to gain Congressional and financial support for 2024 campaign
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Starting on the 9th of November, the Democratic Alliance has contracted American lobbying firm KRL International to assist with lobbying efforts in Washington. They were hired by shadow finance minister Dion George to assist in the attempt to seize ground during the first major moment of weakness in the ANC’s majority rule since 1994.
The firm is known for their work for Sub-Saharan African governments, and boasts members including former telecoms executives, World Bank and US Treasury executive John Donaldson, and former Foreign Affairs Committee staff director Tom Sheehy, previously director of the Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade Subcommittee and the Africa Subcommittee. Sheehy has been involved in almost every new U.S. development initiative, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its recent updates, such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the BUILD Act.
This follows the DA’s efforts to secure a seat at the table for the AGOA trade talks which began earlier this month. The ability to swing issues with Washington will come in handy for the party as they consider a coalition with the ANC as an alternative to their “moonshot pact” coalition with the other non-Charterist parties, who lack the support to achieve an absolute majority.
The lobbying firm has attracted negative press in Ghana for their assistance in the 2016 campaign of Nana Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party, with accusations of undue foreign influence. They are also accused of facilitating US interference in the South Sudan peace process. Articles in American outlets boast of the group’s role in winning elections for favoured political candidates in foreign countries.
The details of the agreement with the DA are not known, though previous such arrangements have included support for NGOs and communications influence on local news outlets.
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