AllAfrica.com posted on 23 October 2025 a commentary titled "Africa Should Not Expect Much from Donald Trump" by Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the Obama administration.
Carson looks back and forwards, concluding that the Trump administration will be minimally engaged in Africa as programs from previous administrations shut down.
The National Interest published on 7 October 2025 an article titled "How Africa Can Shift Supply Chains from China" by Daniel Swift, Freedom for Defense of Democracies.
The author concludes that Congress should seize the moment to create a new US-Africa partnership model that relocates specific buyer-driven light manufacturing supply chains from China to Africa.
Foreign Policy published on 19 May 2025 a commentary titled "The 'America First' Case for U.S. Engagement in Africa" by Curtis Bell and Christopher Faulkner, both at the U.S. Naval War College.
Instead of retreating from Africa, the Trump administration should embrace a smarter form of transactionalism. The authors argue that US policy toward Africa should refocus around four strategic priorities: supporting resilient and self-sufficient regional organizations; curbing threats to US security at their source; fostering African support for US positions in international institutions; and co-developing a positive economic vision for the continent that promotes economic development and integration while resisting extractive and abusive economic practices of rival global powers.
The Atlantic Council published on 13 December 2024 a commentary titled "What Trump's Next Presidency Will Mean for Africa" by Rama Yade.
This analysis is less about what the Trump administration will do in Africa in a second term than what it did or did not do in the first term. The author argues, however, that Africa has more geopolitical interest for the United States today than it did during Trump's first term.
Merics published on 24 March 2022 a study titled "Growing US-China Rivalry in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia: Implications for EU" by Matt Ferchen.
The author concluded that of the three regions, Africa has provided the best fit for and been most receptive to China's development focused economic diplomacy. In part this is because Chinese officials have worked assiduously to build on Mao-era legacies of post-colonial, Third World leadership and solidarity in the region.
While China's comprehensive commercial and diplomatic presence in Africa has made it an important actor in the region and the United States has deepened its engagement there, Europe's position remains strong.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a major speech on US Africa policy in Abuja, Nigeria on 19 November 2021.
He identified the main pillars of the Biden administration policy on Africa. The speech made no direct mention of China, a significant break from the Trump administration, although it did warn of opaque infrastructure deals and the rise of authoritarianism around the world.
Blinken said explicitly the United States does not want Africa to limit its partnership with other countries. It just wants to make partnerships with the United States even stronger. Washington does not want to make Africa choose partners, but rather to give Africa choices.
The Washington Post covered the speech on 19 November 2021 in an article titled "Blinken Lays Out U.S. Policy toward Africa and Deliberately Avoids Mentioning China" by John Hudson.
The New York Times covered the speech on 19 November 2021 in an article titled "China's Influence Looms Over Blinken's Africa Visit" by Michael Crowley.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies published on 15 October 2021 a paper titled "China and SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Window of Opportunity for the United States" by Daniel Runde, Conor Savoy, and Janina Staguhn.
The paper points out that most of China's economic engagement (not investment) with Africa has been in the form of trade and loan financing for large infrastructure projects. While its foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa has been growing, it remains modest. Chinese FDI in African-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), either directly or through intermediaries, is even more limited. This provides an opening for American FDI.
War on the Rocks posted on 6 May 2021 an analysis titled "The Eagle and the Dragon in Africa: Comparing Data on Chinese and American Influence" by George Ward, Eric Kiss, and Pat Savage, all associated with the Institute for Defense Analyses.
The authors concluded that what China has done through its investment has been to increase its influence in Africa significantly, to the point that it moderately exceeds that of the United States. But new research indicates that, with careful attention to priorities and targeted programmatic investments, the United States can remain a formidable force on the continent.
The Conversation posted on 25 November 2020 a commentary titled "Trump's Legacy in Africa and What to Expect from Biden" by Francis Owusu, Iowa State University, and Padraig Carmody and Ricardo Reboredo, both at Trinity College Dublin.
The authors review what the Trump administration has done in Africa and try to predict what will be retained and what will change in the Biden administration.
Foreign Policy published on 12 October 2020 a commentary titled "U.S. Africa Policy Needs a Reset" by John Campbell, Council on Foreign Relations.
The author offers a common sense approach to resetting U.S. policy with Africa irrespective of the winner of the presidential election on 3 November.
Forbes published on 4 September 2020 an article titled "The US versus Chinese Investment in Africa" by Earl Carr, Momentum Advisors.
The author compares US discussions with Kenya for a free trade agreement with China's focus on providing loans for infrastructure projects throughout Africa.
This seems to be a case of comparing apples and oranges with neither activity really qualifying as "investment." The US effort is aimed at increasing trade with Kenya while China is making available loans that must be repaid.
The proposed free trade agreement with Kenya is a positive initiative and if it succeeds may lead to agreements with other African countries, although this is not a certainty. China has made available substantial loan financing and continues to do so, although the amount of financing has been declining in recent years.
Neither China nor the US is upping its economic game in Africa. The possibility of a US free trade agreement with one of Africa's 54 countries is a start but hardly a game changer.
