Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – Ambassador Troy Fitrell, the U.S. State Department’s Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, has reaffirmed America’s strategic shift from an assistance-based model to one centered on commercial diplomacy and investment-led partnerships during a recent trip to West Africa.
Speaking during a digital press briefing hosted by the U.S. Africa Regional Media Hub on May 20, Fitrell reviewed his visit to Côte d’Ivoire, where he promoted Washington’s new commercial diplomacy strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa.
“For decades, we’ve been defined by an assistance-led paradigm,” said Fitrell. “We are very directly and very intentionally shifting toward an investment-led strategy based on what we’ve seen actually works.”
Fitrell said the new strategy is focused on creating incentives and partnerships between equals. “Trade reflects an exchange between equal partners,” he noted, contrasting it with past donor-recipient dynamics. “This is not just rhetoric. We’re putting it into practice.”
According to Fitrell, the shift is already yielding results. “Just last week in Abidjan, we signed three MOUs with the host government and secured six new deals worth over $550 million. In the first 100 days of this administration alone, there have been 33 new deals totaling more than $6 billion,” he stated.
Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba, the U.S. envoy to Côte d’Ivoire, joined the briefing and highlighted the launch of the first-ever West Africa regional American Chamber of Commerce summit, held in Abidjan.
“For the first time, we focused on Francophone countries, with a new U.S. Government office in Abidjan featuring French-speaking staff from the Development Finance Corporation and Department of Commerce,” she said. “We announced over $700 million in regional and bilateral deals, ranging from digital transformation to energy projects—including clean tech and refinery development.”
One of the most prominent U.S.-backed infrastructure projects in Africa, Fitrell noted, is the Lobito Corridor—a railway development crossing Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia. “This is not just a U.S.-government-run project,” he explained. “It includes significant private sector and multilateral participation, with U.S. Government involvement helping de-risk the investment and attract additional financing.”
A fact sheet listing recent investments and deals is expected to be released in the coming days.
Responding to questions on the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is due to expire, Fitrell emphasized that the decision rests with the U.S. Congress.
“When asked what we’re doing to renew AGOA, I turned the question around: ‘What have you done to help renew AGOA?’” he said. Fitrell added that any renewal would likely reflect modern economic realities and focus more on reciprocal trade relationships.
“There are African countries that have asked for free trade agreements with the U.S.—that openness is something we respect and encourage,” he noted.
When asked about tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, and ongoing U.S. engagement in the region, Fitrell said Washington is committed to facilitating peace while continuing to support economic cooperation.
“If you waited for a full peace agreement, you would’ve been waiting for the last 30 years,” he said bluntly. “Both sides specifically asked the U.S. to engage. We don’t believe in waiting six months or a year—we push for rapid attention.”
Ambassador Fitrell also confirmed plans for an upcoming African Leaders Summit hosted by the United States, likely in the autumn.
“The intention is for this to be an inclusive event,” he said. “We want to speak with leaders from across Africa.”
__
Subscribe : https://borkena.com/subscribe-borkena/
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory Business Listing Toronto
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Subscribe to YouTube channel To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com