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The administration of US President, Donald Trump, is reportedly pivoting United States (US) policy toward Africa, placing greater emphasis on trade and investment over traditional aid.
This policy shift was outlined by Troy Fitrell, Senior Bureau Official for the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan on Thursday.
Unveiled at the inaugural American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham) Summit, the new six-point US trade strategy seeks to deepen commercial ties and reverse decades of stagnant trade between the US and Africa.
According to a market watch issued by the Access Bank Group, the strategy highlights six core areas: promoting commercial diplomacy, removing trade barriers, supporting sustainable infrastructure, expanding trade missions, strengthening export connections, and modernising US trade promotion tools.
“It’s time to shift from assistance to partnership,” declared Fitrell, a former US Ambassador to Guinea. “Commerce is an exchange between equals, not a donor-recipient relationship,” he added.
Fitrell also reportedly announced plans for a US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in 2025, to be held in New York and focused exclusively on trade and investment.
The forum revives a platform first introduced under President Obama, which was paused during Trump’s first term and briefly reinstated under President Biden.
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