🔅 Trump's Africa Policy 2.0
Five key focus areas for Trump's Africa policy
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Trump's Africa Policy 2.0: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities
Today we’ll only be looking at what the just concluded 2024 U.S. presidential election, and Donald Trump’s victory means for Africa.
To shed light on the potential trajectory of Trump's Africa policy, it's worth examining
’s insightful analysis of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 blueprint, which is rumored to be the administration's guiding document for engagement with the continent.While Opalo notes that the plan contains some encouraging elements, such as a focus on promoting economic growth and trade rather than relying solely on aid, he also highlights troubling biases that could undermine progress.
On one hand, the plan is weirdly obsessed with countering China's influence in Africa (newsflash: the U.S. has barely shown up to the party in the last 25 years) and seems to view African security solely through the lens of chasing down terrorists.
But on the other hand, it does call for a pivot from aid handouts to promoting actual economic growth and trade. It also recognizes the need to build deeper alliances with a select group of African BFFs to showcase the perks of being tight with Uncle Sam. The idea is to create some shining examples of what a real partnership with the U.S. can do for an African country's bottom line.
The catch? Structural issues in Washington are likely to keep tripping up any attempts at a coherent Africa strategy under Trump:
For most D.C. insiders, Africa is about as high on the priority list as getting a root canal. This means the U.S. is all too willing to ghost its African buddies whenever other geopolitical flings come calling. Got a chance to stick it to China or Russia? Sorry Africa, you've been bumped. Need to appease some European allies? Africa, take a number. It's a harsh reality that the continent is often seen as strategically expendable.
The folks shaping U.S. Africa policy tend to be governance and aid geeks rather than hard-nosed economic and security pragmatists. This self-selecting bias leads to a preachy, values-driven approach that's heavy on the aid and democracy lectures, and light on the mutually beneficial strategic partnerships. It's a worldview that sees Africa primarily as a charity case rather than a potential powerhouse.
So is an Africa policy shake-up on the horizon under Trump 2.0? Opalo sees some glimmers of hope in the business community, which is starting to recognize the continent's massive economic potential. There's also a new generation of savvy young Africa experts who are pushing for a more clear-eyed, interests-driven approach to the region.
But unless African governments themselves step up their own strategic thinking and start assertively shaping the agenda, even a Trump White House may only manage to nudge the needle on U.S.-Africa relations. No more waiting around for scraps from the U.S. aid table - it's time for African leaders to demand a seat at the grown-ups' table and start negotiating some killer trade deals.
Food for Thought
“The son of the zebra also has stripes.”
— Tanzanian Proverb
In the face of blunt US racism, people need to be strong. Let's stop development aid and get back your rights to decide what's good for your countries in Africa.