African leaders at the ongoing 17th United States-Africa Business Summit in Luanda, Angola, have urged the United States of America to focus its engagement and investment in African countries on areas that can strengthen human and infrastructural development on the continent. The leaders also called for an urgent review of U.S. tariffs on African exports, urging a shift towards transformative partnerships and investment in Africa’s economic potential.

The summit, which is an annual event of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), is designed as a vital platform for deepening U.S.-Africa business ties across key sectors, including agribusiness, energy, health, infrastructure, trade facilitation, ICT, and finance.

Angola’s President, João Lourenço, who opened the summit, made a strong call to recalibrate U.S. engagement with Africa, pivoting from traditional aid to expanded private investment.

Lourenço urged American companies to seize growing opportunities on the continent by building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.

“New dynamics show us it is time to replace the logic of aid with the logic of ambition and private investment,” Lourenço said.
“It is time to see Africa as a credible partner – rich in potential, in need of financial capital and know-how, and eager to join forces for mutual benefit.”
Lourenço stressed that Africa is no longer a passive recipient of foreign assistance but a dynamic growth frontier ripe for innovation and enterprise.

In his remarks, African Development Bank Group President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said, “We should review the high tariffs on African countries. What is needed is more trade between Africa and the U.S., not less.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), John Olajide, had predicted that a well-structured relationship between the United States of America and African countries would strongly impact the world economy and bring humongous benefits to both parties. Olajide also called for economic integration among Africans and infrastructural developments among African nations.

He said, “With over 2,000 participants who are attending this summit from within Africa and from the Diaspora, I have the confidence that African nations are well represented by leaders of both public and private sectors. I also believe that a strong business relationship between the U.S. and Africa will positively transform the economy of the nations involved, considering what both parties would bring to the table. The time for collaboration is now because the world is desperate to address common challenges facing various continents. For instance, Africa has rich natural resources, like critical minerals for green technologies, and this can be leveraged for industrialisation and job creation,” Olajide said.

Speaking further, he called for regional integration and urged African leaders to review and harmonise the visa regime across the continent. To support his view, Olajide referenced the challenges faced by some participants before they could connect to Angola, whereas participants from the U.S. entered the country without any hindrance.

“We cannot be sloganeering economic integration in Africa when we don’t have easy access to one another. It’s when the visa regime is relaxed and friendly to Africans that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) objectives can be fully explored. Easy access to African countries by Africans holds immense potential for boosting intra-African trade and economic growth. There is no doubt the fact that regional integration can help create larger markets, promote cross-border collaboration, and develop regional infrastructure, but they will all remain dreams if there is no seamless connection,” Olajide further added.

Also speaking at the summit, a Senior Advisor for Africa to the U.S. Government, Massad Boulos, said the Donald Trump administration sees the four-day summit as an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with Africa. He also emphasised the fact that the U.S. has shifted from its traditional focus of giving aid to African nations to a more meaningful and technologically driven investment.

To this end, Boulos pointed out that the U.S. is committed to supporting countries in the region that are not riddled by crisis, pointing out that since the beginning of the administration, Trump has reaffirmed his commitment to Africa.

“President Donald Trump is committed to Africa, especially to nations that are crisis-free. With lasting peace, the U.S. is ready to support investment and infrastructural growth in Africa. A peaceful African environment will unlock opportunities and investment in the region. With lasting peace, the U.S. is ready to support investment and infrastructural growth in Africa,” he stated.