THE United States has launched a bold new strategy for Africa that puts commercial partnerships ahead of development aid, marking a sharp departure from decades of US policy on the continent.
At a launch event in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, senior State Department official Troy Fitrell said that American ambassadors will now be evaluated based on trade and investment deals they secure, rather than the volume of aid delivered.
‘Assistance involves a donor and a recipient, but commerce is an exchange between equals,’ said Fitrell, who leads African Affairs at the State Department. His comments underscore the Trump administration’s pivot to economic diplomacy over traditional development assistance.
From slogan to strategy
Fitrell revealed that US envoys had already brokered 33 agreements worth $6bn in Trump’s first 100 days back in office.
‘Trade, not aid—a slogan we’ve seen thrown around for years—is now truly our policy for Africa,’ he said.
While US exports to sub-Saharan Africa remain below 1 percent of total American trade, the administration is betting that a commercial-first approach will deepen partnerships and reduce reliance on Chinese and Russian influence.
Infrastructure and minerals in focus
Despite budget reductions in foreign assistance, Washington has approved a $550 million loan to support the Lobito rail corridor, a strategic line linking Zambia and the DRC to Angola’s Atlantic coast. The project is designed to bypass China-controlled logistics routes for copper and cobalt exports, critical to electric vehicle supply chains.
Meanwhile, China continues to expand its reach, recently finalising a $652 million Exim Bank loan to Nigeria to build a major highway connecting to the new Lekki port and Dangote refinery.
The US is keen to avoid losing further ground in Africa’s infrastructure race. Fitrell said the administration would focus on ‘bankable infrastructure projects’, shunning ‘vanity projects’ with no commercial return.
Six-point plan before Africa summit
With the next US–Africa Leaders Summit scheduled for later this year, the White House has outlined six priorities:
- Make commercial diplomacy a core function of embassies
- Push priority countries for business-friendly reforms
- Back bankable, not symbolic, infrastructure
- Promote business-only diplomatic missions
- Link US firms with vetted African ventures
- Reform finance tools to deliver faster, risk-tolerant funding
Aid cuts spark backlash
The strategy has not gone unchallenged. Aid organisations have criticised Washington for pulling back support for health, education, and humanitarian programmes that millions across the continent rely on.
‘Slashing aid is not just a budget line—it’s a matter of life and death,’ one aid group official told Reuters, warning that the poorest Africans are being sacrificed for geopolitical posturing.
Still, US officials argue that commercial engagement offers a more sustainable model of development. By focusing on trade, infrastructure, and investment, they say the US can build mutually beneficial relationships with African nations, rather than one-sided donor dependencies.
