US Steps Up Engagement with Africa During UNGA81
US-Africa Meetings on Sidelines of UNGA81
Since several African leaders converged on New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, the US took the opportunity to step up engagement with Africa by initiating various US-Africa meetings.
US-Ghana Presidential Roundtable
Ghana’s President John Mahama hosted a Presidential Roundtable which attracted more than 100 American business leaders, regrouped mostly under AmCham. President Mahama welcomed President Trump’s move away from development assistance toward investment. He added that Africa needs capital, technology and jobs, but not handouts.
President Mahama also visited the New York Stock Exchange and expressed the wish for African countries to have easier access to the capital markets to support their economic development.
US-Kenya Clean Energy Forum
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio both met with Kenya’s President William Ruto. Secretary Wright expressed the USA’s willingness to support Kenya in hosting the Africa Clean Cooking Summit in 2027. On the other hand, Secretary Rubio focused talks on cooperation in the fields of #CriticalMinerals, technology and health. In particular, the US is promoting its Global Health Program across Africa.
US-Liberia Maritime Meeting
US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Michael Waltz and Liberia’s Foreign Minister Sara Nyanti held a meeting on 20 September 2026. The agenda included Maritime Security, Fisheries and Port Development focusing on the Freeport of Monrovia and Buchanan Ports. Liberia ambitons to graduate from a flag state to a more substantial maritime hub offering more marine services.
US-Mauritius Commercial and Security Dialogues
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia met with Mauritius’ Foreign Minister Ritish Ramful to reinforce commercial ties. Both parties finalized details for the upcoming 18th US-Africa Business Summit, which is to be held in Mauritius from 6 to 9 December 2026. Mauritius puts forward its role as a Financial Gateway to Africa to carry out investment and trade across Africa.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also met with the Mauritian Minister Ramful. Their talks centered on making the Indian Ocean a more peaceful and prosperous region. With its huge EEZ and extended continental shelf, Mauritius is exploring partnership in offshore hydrocarbon exploration and deep-sea mining (DSM).
US-Nigeria Digital Economy Roundtable and Mineral Cooperation
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, co-chaired a roundtable around the theme of ‘Nigeria at Scale: Building Digital Systems for Shared Prosperity’ on 21 September 2026. In particular, Nigeria and US discussed deepening cooperation in Nigeria’s Project Bridge to expand Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Digital Economy.
Separately, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake met on 23 September 2026. Both sides signed a cooperation framework MoU to work on geological survey, mineral development, and local processing, in line with Nigerian President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
US-Rwanda Cooperation
US Congressman Joe Wilson and Rwanda’s Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe met on 22 September 2026. Both the US and Rwanda renewed their commitment to implement the Washington Accords to work toward peace in the region. Rwanda expressed interest in partnering with the US on Small Modular Reactors.
Future of US-Africa Ties
For the US, the relationship with Africa is currently dominated by the search of alternative sources of Critical Minerals. On the other hand, African countries want to dispel the resource curse by calling for more local beneficiation.
The US also plans to leverage its leadership in technology and health to explore new partnerships with African countries. In particular, the new field of AI attracted a lot of interest from Africa, which does not wish to be left behind.