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
On 23 September 2026, 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 markets, rather than handouts.
President Mahama also visited the Nasdaq 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 on 21 September 2026. 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 Fisheries, Maritime Security, 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 by 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 on 21 September 2026. 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 put its best foot forward as the preferred Financial Gateway to channel 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 on 21 September 2026 on the theme of ‘Nigeria at Scale: Building Digital Systems for Shared Prosperity’. In particular, Nigeria and the 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 Peace and Energy Dialogue
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 (SMR) as a form of #CleanEnergy.
Trend of US-Africa Ties
For the US, the relationship with Africa is currently dominated by the diversification of the 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 intense interest from Africa, which does not wish to be left behind. On the energy front, the US stands ready to support the transition from wood to LPG as a cleaner cooking fuel.