U.S. Unveils New Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire — The Biden administration is rolling out a new Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for sub-Saharan Africa, aimed at expanding U.S. trade and investment on the continent, according to Ambassador Troy Fitrell, acting head of the Africa Bureau at the U.S. State Department.

Speaking at the 2025 AmCham Business Summit in Abidjan, Fitrell emphasized the urgency of redefining America’s economic relationship with Africa. “Africa should be among our largest trading partners, and yet it isn’t,” he said. “U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa represent less than one percent of our total trade in goods—a figure that has remained virtually unchanged for over two decades.”

The summit, hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan and the U.S.-Africa Business Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, brought together business leaders from across West Africa. Fitrell stressed that the U.S. is committed to increasing exports, reducing trade deficits, and promoting mutual prosperity through targeted commercial engagement. The strategy, he added, is “based on what we’ve seen that actually works.”

Upcoming U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

Fitrell also confirmed that another U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit is planned for later this year, following the model of previous high-level engagements aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between the United States and African nations.

The AmCham summit followed the 2025 Africa CEO Forum, which attracted over 2,800 economic and political leaders from 90 countries. Notable speakers included five African presidents: Alassane Ouattara (Côte d’Ivoire), Bassirou Diomaye Faye (Senegal), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritania), and Paul Kagame (Rwanda).

Together, the forums underscore Africa’s growing strategic importance and the renewed international focus on building robust economic partnerships across the continent.