Africa’s Growing Markets Demand Stronger U.S. Commercial Diplomacy

Africa’s markets are expanding, its trade relationships are evolving, and global competition for long-term economic partnership is intensifying. As governments and businesses across the continent prioritize investment, infrastructure, and industrial growth, the United States faces important choices about how it engages. In this guest essay, Liz Grossman Kitoyi argues that commercial diplomacy, not traditional assistance models, offers the most credible path forward for U.S.–Africa economic partnership.

One year after the foreign assistance stop-work order, the U.S. faces a choice in Africa: retreat, reset, or refine. Commercial diplomacy is the most credible and competitive tool the United States has in Africa today. The White House National Security Council’s Prosper Africa Initiative proved that aligning U.S. national security, American business, and African markets is possible and necessary. The administration should build on this foundation, not discard it.

Prosper Africa, which was halted by a stop-work order despite being launched by the Trump administration in 2019, was institutionally complex. A roughly 20-person secretariat coordinated seventeen U.S. agencies from within USAID’s Africa Bureau while reporting directly to the National Security Council. This coordination reflected the scale of the opportunity: Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and is expected to add hundreds of millions of new consumers in the coming decades. The secretariat’s role was to promote the utilization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) , and support opportunities for American businesses to operate in African markets by leveraging tools across the interagency, while aggregating data to provide a clear, evidence-based picture of U.S. commercial engagement and investment on the continent.

Prosper Africa was not a humanitarian or typical assistance program, yet it depended on USAID infrastructure. It was not a single agency, yet it was expected to function as a unified platform for U.S. commercial engagement. Inevitably, this produced friction among government partners, uncertainty over roles. That friction was real. But it was also the result of an unprecedented effort to align the U.S. government around a single commercial mission. Ultimately, the work was not about institutional ownership. It was about delivering results for American businesses and, by extension, the American people.

When Prosper Africa stopped, many supported initiatives across U.S. government agencies were just beginning to gain traction. Relationships with African governments, investors, and businesses were disrupted midstream. Contracts ended abruptly. Companies and partners who had been working with the U.S. government lost confidence as projects stalled without clear transition plans. For American and African businesses, the impact was tangible: delayed transactions, lost revenue, and layoffs. The larger risk, however, was not financial alone. It was eroded trust. In competitive markets, business follows reliability. This past year, the U.S. has proven itself inconsistent, creating space for competitors to step in and advance their own commercial and strategic interests.

Despite this, there have been signs of resilience. Former Secretariat members and implementing partners continue to steward relationships and follow up on deals. Initiatives such as the US Africa Trade Desk, the Tech for Trade Alliance, and related trade engagements move forward through private-sector ventures, led by members of the secretariat. Government agencies like the International Development Finance Corporation, the United States Export-Import Bank, the Department of State, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency continue to drive investments forward.  These continuities matter. Prosper Africa’s commercial diplomacy model was sound and capable of enduring beyond a single program or budget cycle.

There is a clear path forward.

First, the administration should rebuild trust by leveraging the Prosper Africa brand. After years of engagement, it had begun to resonate with governments, investors, and businesses across the continent as a platform for commercial diplomacy and not aid. Restarting the initiative would awaken the continuity, credibility and seriousness needed today around the United States’ long-term economic engagement in Africa. 

Second, the United States should better equip American businesses to compete. That means amplifying existing tools that help U.S. firms navigate African markets and focusing on strategic sectors such as critical minerals, digital infrastructure, logistics, and energy, where reliability and long-term partnership matter more than one-off transactions.

Finally, commercial diplomacy needs a clear institutional home. Aligning the initiative explicitly with the National Security Strategy, clarifying authority and ownership, and ensuring seamless internal coordination would reduce friction and strengthen execution. Commercial diplomacy works best when roles are clear and incentives are aligned.

Prosper Africa demonstrated the promise of using commercial diplomacy as a tool of U.S. statecraft. In the past year, the competitive landscape in Africa has only intensified. The United States is not starting from zero. It has the tools, the talent, and a private sector capable of competing, dealmaking and winning in African markets. Commercial diplomacy is not charity. It is how the United States competes, builds trust, and secures its economic future in Africa.

Liz Grossman Kitoyi is a communications strategist and co-founder of Baobab Consulting, a firm advising African and American organizations on investment, policy, and strategic communications. She has worked across African markets for nearly two decades and previously served on the White House National Security Council’s Prosper Africa Secretariat.