Despite raising tariffs, slashing support for the African Development Bank and pulling the rug off key infrastructure organisations like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United States African Development Foundation (USADF), Prosper Africa and the Joe Biden President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE), among other disruptive policies of President Donald Trump, the United States has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening U.S.-Africa business partnerships as a central priority for the Trump administration in Africa.

Speaking, yesterday, at the launch of the Bureau of African Affairs Commercial Diplomacy Strategy in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, the Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Amb Troy Fitrell, said ‘breaking glass’ at government agencies will improve U.S.-Africa ties.

He said: “From Washington, we see what everyone sees – Africa’s extraordinary commercial potential. It’s the world’s largest untapped market and by 2050, will be home to a quarter of the world’s population – 2.5 billion people with a projected purchasing power of over $16 trillion. This will rival the economies of our three largest trading partners: Canada, China, and Mexico.

“Africa should be among our largest trading partners and yet, it isn’t. U.S. exports to Sub-Saharan Africa represent less than one per cent of our total trade in goods – a figure that has remained virtually unchanged for more than two decades. We’ve taken a hard look at why U.S. trade with Africa has lagged. The findings were clear.”

According to Fitrell, for too long, the White House prioritised development assistance over promoting U.S. commercial engagement in Africa.

He added: “Going forward, we will continue to invest in development – but we will do so through expanded trade and private investment, because it is the private sector – not assistance – that drives economic growth.

“Under the Trump administration, we no longer see Africa as a continent in need of handouts, but as a capable commercial partner. ‘Trade, not aid,’ a slogan we’ve seen thrown around for years, is now truly our policy for Africa – a shift I know you have long sought and one that I am committed to strengthening. Assistance involves a donor and a recipient, but commerce is an exchange between equals. The administration’s goal here is clear: to increase U.S. exports and investment in Africa, eliminate our trade deficits and drive mutual prosperity.”

While stating that the Trump administration’s six action plans will be rolled out soon, the American envoy dropped the hint that Trump might host African leaders during the next U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit, expected to hold later this year, which would be a clear departure from his previous relationship with the continent. The summit instituted during the Barack Obama administration never held during Trump’s first term in office.

The administration’s strategy, he noted, contains six actions, which would be implemented in close partnership with companies doing business in the continent and with the African governments and other stakeholders.

Fitrell disclosed: “The first action is to make Commercial Diplomacy a core focus of our Africa engagement. All U.S. ambassadors in Africa are now being evaluated on how effectively they advocate for U.S. business and the number of deals they facilitate. The results so far have been staggering – within the first 100 days, 33 deals valued at $6 billion have been signed. Our ambassadors are actively seeking new opportunities; so bring us your deals, and we will bring you a coordinated U.S. government response.

“The second is to work with our African government partners in priority countries to implement the top five market reforms identified by the private sector. These reforms are critical to attracting U.S. and foreign capital, enabling U.S. companies to win tenders, successfully operate and expand across the continent. The third action in the strategy is to implement key infrastructure projects in priority countries. These are projects that will unlock economic growth and attract private investment. The fourth action is for officials from the State Department to lead more commercial diplomacy trips, like the one I’m on this week. Unlike traditional diplomatic visits that address a range of bilateral issues, these trips focus exclusively on advancing trade and investment with countries that have a positive business environment or are making the necessary reforms to create one.”

While the trips are helpful to the companies involved, the fifth action is to connect a greater share of the nearly 300,000 export-ready U.S. companies and the $120 trillion U.S. capital market to the African continent.

The sixth and final action is to advocate structural reforms to U.S. trade promotion, project preparation and financing tools to better support U.S. companies.