The US Vice President Kamala Harris recently went on tour to Tanzania, Ghana and Zambia.

But she was not the only US official to visit the African continent recently: First Lady Jill Biden, the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen have all been in recent months.

And they’re not alone either; Turkey and China’s Foreign Ministers made five-nation tours of Africa earlier this year. Russia’s Sergei Lavrov has also made several trips to the continent over the last few months.

But why are countries courting African nations now?

In today’s episode, we speak to our international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, about why the Ukraine war has intensified and accelerated a new scramble for Africa, and whether amidst all this jockeying for influence - the people on the continent once again get left behind?