Abidjan, Ivory Coast - Commuters in Abidjan have long joked about the impossibility of running two errands due to notorious traffic congestions. To address this issue, a significant overpass near the airport is in the works, designed to ease the movement of around 120,000 vehicles daily, as reported by the Ivorian agency supervising the construction. A billboard proudly declaring, “Financed by the American people,” once stood beside the site. However, with President Trump’s significant cuts to U.S. foreign aid, experts and Ivorians alike are uncertain about the project's fate. Earlier this year, the billboard was taken down, reflecting the changing sentiments regarding U.S. assistance.
Currently, construction workers are working diligently to complete the overpass amid fears that U.S. funding might vanish as the Trump administration reshapes its approach towards Africa. Under this new paradigm, the U.S. has minimized its financial commitments, opting instead for a strategy focused on trade. During a recent business summit in Abidjan, Troy Fitrell, the State Department’s leading official on African affairs, emphasized that the U.S. aims to foster “Trade, not aid” as the cornerstone of its policy on the continent. Following his address, several agreements were signed between U.S. and Ivorian companies for various projects, including supply contracts for drones and border monitoring technology.
This shift under the Trump administration marks a departure from decades of U.S. foreign assistance in Africa, as the agency most responsible for delivering aid, the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.), faces significant cuts. Furthermore, the imposition of tariffs threatens to disrupt free-trade agreements with numerous African nations, while the rollback of anti-corruption standards for U.S. firms raises concerns over ethical business practices abroad.
Mr. Fitrell underscored the potential for commercial diplomacy, with Africa projected to house a quarter of the global population by 2050. Despite this, countries south of the Sahara currently contribute only about 1% to U.S. merchandise trade. The administration’s new strategy aims to broaden this economic connection, yet many infrastructure and developmental projects remain in limbo as reliance on traditional aid diminishes.
