AllAfrica.com posted on 12 January 2026 an analysis titled "Africa: Former CIA Analyst Now Top U.S. Africa Official at State; Dealmaking Dominates as Conflicts Spread" by Reed Kramer.
The top official in the State Department Africa Bureau, Nick Checker, comes from the Central Intelligence Agency via the Trump administration's National Security Council. Massad Boulos, the U.S. Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs, is the father of Tiffany Trump's husband and former truck and heavy machinery dealer in Nigeria.
The Trump administration recalled 15 career ambassadors from embassies in Africa in late December. Now only 17 of 52 embassies in Africa, which includes 4 in North Africa that are part of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, have ambassadors assigned to the country; 35 ambassadorial positions in Africa are vacant. The Trump administration has put forward only 4 nominations for ambassador to embassies in Africa--Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia, and South Africa. All 4 nominees are political appointees.
