Washington, DC — Thanks, Kendra. And it is a pleasure to be right here with Ambassador Giordano, Chairman Jovanovic, and different distinguished visitors and colleagues.
The Trump Administration stays engaged in Africa.
Since that is my first time talking publicly on our broad Africa coverage, let me simply say on the high that it is the honor of a lifetime to be right here on the Division of State main a workforce of dedicated People and native Africans at our Embassies to work on advancing the U.S.-Africa relationship on behalf of President Trump and Secretary Rubio.
I wish to use this chance immediately to offer perception and readability into the Trump Administration’s technique in direction of Africa. And the way our method goals to make America safer, stronger, and extra affluent.
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Let me begin with the massive image: The US’ is resetting its relationship with Africa primarily based on mutually helpful partnerships relatively than assist, dependency, and spreading divisive ideology.
Relatively than strolling away, we have been closely engaged on the continent. In actual fact, President Trump met with 13 African Heads of State in his first 12 months in workplace… a report so far as the Africa Bureau can keep in mind and a concrete signal of not simply continued, however strengthened, engagement with the continent.
Every little thing we do is guided by the Trump Administration’s 2025 Nationwide Safety Technique, which within the clearest phrases within the post-Chilly Battle period lays out our singular international prioritization and deal with defending and advancing our “core nationwide pursuits.” It’s a radical, however needed corrective to the reckless pursuit of liberal hegemony over the past 30 years.
That is an method of strategic financial system that’s: “modest in goals, clear in pursuits, disciplined about limits.”
As Secretary Rubio has stated, nationwide curiosity governs our engagement with different states. Diplomacy has been outlined by sober, pragmatic dialogue and guided by the axiom that rational international actors will act for the advantage of their individuals and their states, in different phrases, America First is wholly suitable with Africa First.
To achieve success in diplomacy consequently means assembly nations on their very own phrases, and respecting variations in tradition, historical past, and governance as a way to advance shared priorities.
This actuality means we should have interaction governments as they’re, and never as Washington needs them to be.
We have now no fond illusions concerning the finish of historical past.
Engagement shouldn’t be approval however is accepting political realities and the futility of trying to impose home legitimacy. As a substitute, we should have interaction in diplomacy that respects sovereignty, makes use of quiet leverage on values-based points, avoids public moralizing and advantage signaling, and prioritizes accomplice nations that wish to work with us on points that matter most from curbing mass destabilizing migration to unleashing the ability of American free enterprise.
With these ideas in thoughts, I wish to discuss three focus areas in Africa – industrial diplomacy, rethinking overseas help, and battle decision and administration.
As we’re right here on the Powering Africa Summit I’ll begin with industrial diplomacy, america has shifted from assist to commerce in Africa. Whereas, earlier administrations targeted on assist and lectures, the Trump administration promotes commerce and personal funding as the muse for sustainable progress and partnership.
We’re partaking African nations not as assist recipients, however as succesful industrial companions.
Our goal put merely—improve U.S. exports and funding in Africa to drive mutual prosperity and harness Africa’s considerable pure sources and latent financial potential to safe our provide chains.
ZOOMING OUT: Africa is the world’s subsequent nice industrial alternative. 9 of the 20 quickest rising economies are in Africa, and by 2050, one out of each 4 individuals on the planet might be in Africa—2.5 billion shoppers with projected buying energy exceeding $16 trillion.
Assembly that demand would require huge funding in technology, infrastructure, and provide chains.
It’s true that Africa accounts for only one p.c of U.S. exports. Nonetheless, with the financial and demographic modifications that in movement, we’ve got large room for progress that can profit The US and Africa.
That’s the reason “Commerce-not-Assist” is not simply one thing we’re saying, it’s one thing we’re doing.
We have launched a industrial diplomacy technique to understand this. Our technique –
- Makes industrial diplomacy a high precedence and retools our embassy personnel to make deal groups a actuality
- Pushes for precedence market reforms (open tenders, transparency, degree planning discipline, truthful and clear phrases)
- Advances infrastructure tasks that drive funding (just like the Lobito Hall in Angola)
- Lead extra industrial diplomacy missions
- Brings extra U.S. corporations into Africa.
- Assist deploy U.S. financing instruments, together with EXIM, DFC, and be sure that strategic priorities in Africa are driving financing selections.
For the reason that starting of this administration, our embassies within the discipline and Washington workforce have labored on to assist over 60 totally different offers value greater than 25 billion {dollars}.
We exceeded annual export totals to sub-Saharan Africa for 2022, 2023, and 2024 by mid-October of 2025. Remaining numbers are on monitor to see a 23 p.c improve for the 12 months.
Africa sits on the middle of the worldwide race for important minerals—from cobalt and copper to graphite and uncommon earth parts.
The Trump administration’s important minerals technique in Africa is pushed by a transparent and constantly said demand from African accomplice governments: they need elevated U.S. funding of their mining sectors.
For too lengthy, these sectors have been dominated by opaque, predatory investments from our adversaries that prey on corruption and create unsustainable markets.
African governments more and more acknowledge that they’re being exploited by these practices and see america as a extra clear, sustainable accomplice that brings job alternatives, ability switch, and long-term financial worth.
Our purpose is to make sure that important minerals from Africa start flowing west to america. Once more, initiatives such because the Lobito Hall exemplify this mannequin.
Some of the vital steps we have taken on this space got here final 12 months when america and the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed a Strategic Partnership Settlement on important minerals as a part of the Washington Accords.
That settlement displays a brand new mannequin for a way we have interaction on minerals. Relatively than merely extracting sources, we’re working with companions to construct safe, clear, and commercially viable provide chains that profit each our economies.
In sensible phrases, which means supporting investments in infrastructure, logistics, and processing capability so nations just like the DRC can seize extra worth from their very own sources.
There are three tasks that we view as foundational to the profitable implementation of the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Settlement. The Virtus-led consortium buying Chemaf’s cobalt and copper mines, the concession for the DRC aspect of the Lobito Hall being granted to Mota-Engil, and the Orion Crucial Mineral Consortium and Glencore finalizing their proposed transaction for Glencore’s mining belongings within the DRC.
These tasks are testomony to the non-public sector curiosity within the DRC created by the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Settlement and with President Tshisekedi’s steadfast dedication and management we’re optimistic these preliminary tasks might be accomplished shortly. It will present each provide chain advantages for america and a transparent optimistic sign to the remainder of the non-public sector that the DRC is open for enterprise.
General, this method ensures African nations have a significant seat on the desk as international supply-chain selections are formed. Final month, Secretary Rubio hosted a worldwide important mineral ministerial, with sturdy African illustration, reflecting the Africa Bureau’s important function in advancing international important mineral supply-chain safety as a win-win worth place.
Simply to spherical out the industrial diplomacy piece, I can say firsthand, that each African chief I’ve met with loves this new method as a result of American corporations strengthen financial sovereignty relatively than undermines it.
Turning to overseas help, there’s been loads on the market within the media. Let me let you know the way it actually is. The US is essentially the most beneficiant nation on the planet, particularly in Africa. Below the Trump Administration, we’ve got modified our help paradigm.
U.S. overseas help shouldn’t be charity—relatively it’s strategic capital to be properly invested to advance U.S. pursuits—and we count on all of our allies and recipient nations to take severely American strategic and industrial priorities.
We maintain recipient nations accountable with a zero-tolerance coverage for waste, fraud, and abuse and have deployed new, progressive methods we’re partaking on this area to interrupt the cycle of dependency. We now have a typical set of ideas after we discuss U.S. help – it’s conditional, it’s focused, it privileges our companions, and it features a clear exit technique.
So sure, nations that have not acted in ways in which assist U.S. pursuits are taking a look at reductions in help. We additionally are not looking for emergency help to a be substitute for governance and exploited by predatory hire in search of, like in South Sudan and, extra typically, we should always not throw good cash at locations the place assist is not going to attain the meant recipients given finite sources and competing calls for. We’re not answerable for carrying this burden alone.
Essentially, we wish African nations to be extra self-reliant, and our new paradigm is a certain option to make this occur.
As an illustration, underneath the American First World Well being Technique we have promoted Bilateral Well being MoUs with dozens of nations to the tune of billions of {dollars} to maneuver these nations to self-reliance.
Right here once more, African governments love these agreements as a result of they really provide possession and empower them to handle well being programs. This method strikes from an infantilizing NGO industrial complicated modal to an method that treats Africans as succesful companions.
Lots of you don’t have any doubt seen the pretend information concerning Zambia. I can say unequivocally, we’re not in search of something at Zambia’s expense or in opposition to Zambia’s legal guidelines or pursuits; fairly the alternative.
We constantly encourage reforms to make sure help is used successfully and advantages U.S. pursuits and Zambia’s wants. The American persons are proposing an enormous funding in Zambia’s future and success.
However, how we negotiate this and what we count on from them might be essentially totally different from approaches of the previous that did not ship for both Zambia’s sustainable future or for the American individuals.
The US has been clear that, to draw dependable exterior funding and construct a extra sturdy financial system that advantages the Zambian individuals, the Authorities of Zambia should make accountability reforms and take steps to modernize its key industries, together with mining. In any other case, non-public sector funding in Zambia is not going to occur.
Not like others who’ve prioritized their very own pursuits, america stands for real partnership and accountability.
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Lastly on battle decision and administration, you’ve got heard him say it – President Trump is the president of peace. We’re open to alternatives to barter settlements to ongoing conflicts. At his core, President Trump is a deal-maker with an agenda outlined by realism. A few of President Trump’s largest overseas coverage wins got here from throwing apart elite consensus knowledge and prior norms.
You’ve got seen a transparent instance of this with the signing of the Washington Accords between DRC and Rwanda in December.
You’ve got additionally seen Senior Advisor Boulos concerted effort to finish the devastating struggle in Sudan and resolve points across the GERD.
We additionally stay cautious of resurgent Jihadist terrorist exercise whereas avoiding any long-term American presence or commitments. Our engagements with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso towards resetting relations is a burden-shifting efforts to advertise regional possession and cooperation in opposition to the enduing problem of transnational terrorist teams within the Sahel.
However this effort to reset relations acknowledged that lecturing on democratic norms amid complicated native realities is ineffective; our focus displays pragmatic cooperation primarily based on shared pursuits and preserving the area for a reputable transition over time. That is the one possibility to handle insecurity in that area.
Because the Senior Bureau Official for Africa, my workforce in Washington and our groups throughout the African continent are working each day to place all the things I’ve stated into motion.
General, these three pillars showcase that Trump Administration’s method to Africa is an thrilling invitation for brand spanking new and artistic considering, to interrupt useless dogmas, and to totally leverage the Division’s diplomatic experience to advance our nationwide priorities.
With that overarching coverage body, let me shortly pivot to what brings us right here immediately.
The offers the Administration has facilitated demonstrates that when U.S. diplomacy aligns with non-public sector alternative, we are able to unlock important funding. Power has been central to that effort.
As Secretary Wright emphasised at this Summit final 12 months, power is the muse of financial progress and human progress. The administration’s place is evident: Africa wants extra power—and extra power of each variety.
Our function is to not dictate these selections. Our function is to assist allow them—via funding, expertise, and partnership.
Having laid out the massive image of the State Division’s America First method to Africa. Now Ambassador Giordano will present a concrete instance from Namibia of how this technique is being carried out with a deal with the power sector.
Thanks.
READ: Powering the Way forward for the U.S.-Africa Power Partnership – Remarks on the Powering Africa Summit
Ambassador John Giordano
