Is America Missing Its Africa Opportunity?

By Gregory Simpkins

The second Trump administration has prioritized a transactional “trade, not aid” policy toward Africa, focusing on U.S. economic and security interests, critical minerals, countering adversaries, and reducing foreign aid footprints in many areas. Many positions saw long vacancies or acting officials, and the Africa Bureau has experienced a staff reduction.

Over the last decade, US officials and analysts have lamented China’s “takeover” of Africa. Statistics have been cited concerning the increasing importance of Africa to the world, such as those presented by the United Nations:

• By 2030, roughly 40 percent of the world’s youth will live in Africa.
• By 2050, Africa is expected to account for the vast majority of growth in the global working age population.
• One in four people on Earth will be African within a generation.

A June 20 article in the Daily Kos describes Africa today as a lost opportunity for America.

“This matters because demographic structure shapes economic potential. A young population supports labor force expansion, consumer demand, entrepreneurship, and innovation. As Europe ages, Japan contracts, and China faces declining birth rates, Africa will remain one of the few regions with sustained demographic momentum,” the article stated.

“In a global economy increasingly defined by human capital, Africa’s population is not a challenge to be managed. It is an opportunity to be engaged.”

Where Expertise Went Missing

In the American government institutions, staff members are critical to devising and implementing policy. Those doing research and providing counsel are as important in this country as who heads an agency or a bureau.

It has been even more important for US President Donald Trump – a non-politician with only financial experience on the international scene.

In his first term, in which I worked, he was betrayed by people whom he felt he needed to burnish his conservative credentials since he really is more of a populist. Still, he had people like Ambassador Mark Green, who headed the US Agency for International Development, and Ramsey Day, who headed the agency’s Africa Bureau.

I worked with both men, who not only had previous Africa experience and espoused sound, mutually beneficial Africa policy but also implemented it. That included keeping the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from fading away and created Prosper Africa, an Africa program that complemented AGOA.

Unfortunately, neither is on the scene in this current Trump term when their advice would be more useful than ever. Trump has chosen to appoint people he believes will implement his policies without substituting what they consider to be their superior wisdom, such as former National Security Adviser John Bolton.

When it comes to Africa policy, though, the Republican Party bench has always been thin, and since close relationships matter most in this administration, that dearth of Africa experience is now more keenly felt than ever.

The policy theme in the DR Congo-Rwanda plan is transactional, focused on minerals and peace-for-investment bargains, but while Boulos has West Africa experience and business credentials, East African politics is much different.

Trump’s Current Africa Advisers

Today, the most prominent Africa counselor is Massad Boulos – Senior Adviser to the President for Arab and African Affairs at the State Department. He is a Lebanese-American businessman and Trump’s son-in-law’s father (the son is married to Tiffany Trump). He previously had business interests in Nigeria’s automotive sector. Boulos took the lead on the DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal. He told Reuters he had spoken directly with Presidents Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi about the initial peace agreement tied to Western investment in critical minerals.

The plan links peace to deals regarding tantalum, cobalt, copper and lithium, but while Boulos has West Africa experience and business credentials, East African politics is much different than what he has previously experienced.

As stated earlier, the State Department Africa Bureau has been diminished. Frank Garcia was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in early June 2026. A former Navy veteran (28 years) and House Republican intelligence staffer with limited prior Africa-specific public profile or diplomatic experience, he leads the Bureau amid staff reductions and a focus on minerals, security and transactional engagement – not democratic or human rights progress.

Nick Checker served as Senior Bureau Official (acting head) of the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs from roughly January to June 2026, then became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southern Africa and Foreign Assistance. A former CIA conflict analyst and Deputy Executive Secretary at the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, he has publicly emphasized an “America First” approach: trade/investment over aid, realism about US interests being “peripheral” in many areas, messaging US generosity where aid continues and risk management.

Sarah Troutman serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs, coordinating the Administration’s policy priorities in the central African countries of Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, DR Congo and Rwanda. She also drives initiatives to expand US exports to sub-Saharan Africa and creates opportunities for US companies and investors by leading efforts in the commercial and economic affairs portfolio across the region.

Andrew Veprek is Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. He previously served in that Bureau as a Deputy Assistant Secretary. A career member of the US Foreign Service, he has served overseas in Cameroon, Canada, Iraq and Thailand. He has spoken publicly about expanding refugee caps for Afrikaners.

The Unofficial Bench: Outside Advisers and Influencers

Among those believed to be unofficial Africa advisers are:

Tibor Nagy, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, is a career Foreign Service Officer who served as Ambassador to Ethiopia and Guinea. He retired but was brought back as adviser during Trump’s first term.

Jonathan Pratt previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti (2021–2023) and held various Africa and other postings (e.g., Pakistan, Sudan, Congo). He has extensive on-the-ground diplomatic experience.

Frank Fannon, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, was the first person to hold that State Department energy role. He is considered to be an expert in minerals/energy markets and is advising on critical minerals strategy for Africa and is advising on the development-to-trade transition.

J. Peter Pham is a prominent Africa expert and Republican figure who served in Trump’s first term as Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and then the Sahel Region. He was widely expected to play a major role (e.g., potentially Assistant Secretary), contributed to Project 2025 thinking on Africa and has advocated for reciprocal trade, security and countering China/Russia/Iran influence. He remains influential as a scholar/analyst (e.g., Atlantic Council).

Experienced Africa watchers will point out that there are no Diasporans in leading positions as Africa advisers currently. In the past, you had Diaspora Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs officials such as Johnnie Carson, Constance Berry Newman, Jendayi Frazer and George Moose.

The National Security Council was headed at various points by Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. There also were leading Diaspora officials on Africa policy at the Office of the US Trade Representative such as Rosa Whitaker and Connie Hamilton.

In Congress, the House and Senate subcommittees on Africa were staffed by Diaspora members such as Pearl-Alice Marsh, Malik Chaka, Heather Flynn and myself.

While one doesn’t have to be a member of the Diaspora to give good counsel on Africa, we do have the ability to create significant connections and engage in a level of dialogue non-Diasporans rarely can. Those of us with genuine Africa expertise don’t approach Africans as incapable of making progress with effectively targeted help as opposed to seeing them as perpetual aid recipients.

So, is the United States missing an opportunity in Africa? I would say we should be farther ahead of other countries such as China in our relations with African countries and its people due to the depth of our Diaspora. To not take advantage of that is indeed to miss a tremendous opportunity.

Gregory Simpkins, a longtime specialist in African policy development, is the Principal of 21st Century Solutions. He consults with organizations on African policy issues generally, especially in relating to the U.S. Government. He further acts as a consultant to the African Merchants Association, where he advises the Association in its efforts to stimulate an increase in trade between several hundred African Diaspora small and medium enterprises and their African partners.