Since President Trump took office a second time, many commentators and the Oval Office itself have suggested a huge shift in Africa-US relations. At Development Reimagined, however, we never take commentary for granted. The data always reveals all. So, we decided to review the data to ask: how “strong” were US-Africa relations coming out of the Biden presidency? In particular, were commitments made at the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit held up at all?
The second edition of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit (USALS) was held in December 2022 in Washington, DC. During the Summit, the U.S. committed to invest US$55 billion in Africa over three years. Between 2022-2024, Development Reimagined undertook a tracking exercise of the progress made on the commitments made at the USALS, and below we summarize our findings. Important to note, the new Trump administration discontinued official reporting on progress on commitments, making tracking difficult since January 2025, as our tracking activity was limited to publicly available information.
Commitments at the USALS were in ten broad categories: Democracy, Governance and Human rights, Trade and Investment, Health, Food Security, Peace and Security, Digital Transformation, Space, and Youth, Education and Diaspora. Trade and Investment, Climate, Health, Food Security, and Infrastructure accounted for over 95% of all commitments made at the USALS. Trade & Investment accounted for the largest share of total commitments made—over 27%; followed by climate (19%); health (18%); food security (10%) and infrastructure (7%).
As of January 2024, overall progress stood at about 72% (with 44% of commitments fulfilled and 28% in progress). According to our tracking, there was no public record of progress on 28% of the commitments. Notably, a significant number of the commitments announced at the USALS predated the Summit—we counted at least 20%.
The realm of political cooperation saw the greatest progress in U.S-Africa relations. Since 2023, several high-ranking U.S. government officials made over 65 visits to more than 25 African countries in an effort to forge closer political ties. President Biden himself belatedly visited Angola in December 2024. More significantly, the Biden administration lent its voice to Africa’s call for inclusion in global decision-making forums by supporting the admission of the African Union to the G20 as a permanent member and calling for permanent representation for Africa on the UN Security Council.
At a sectoral level, commitments made under the trade and investment banner saw the most progress (75%; 46% complete and 29% in progress); followed by Food Security (73%; 26% complete, 47% in progress); Climate (72%; 49% complete, 23% in progress), Infrastructure (72%; 29% complete, 43% in progress) and Health (70%; 55% complete, 15% in progress). At a country level, Kenya saw the highest number of commitments fulfilled (13), followed by Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia (6) and South Africa (5) closing out the top 5.
Overall, the USALS was helpful in rekindling US-Africa relations since the last Summit, especially in the realm of political cooperation. Notable progress was made in the relationship over the tracking period, and this progress was strongly underpinned by multilateral cooperation. Many commitments were implemented through partnerships involving African governments, international institutions, and other global actors, reinforcing Africa’s growing role in collective problem-solving on trade, climate, and global governance. These outcomes highlighted how sustained collaboration across multiple actors created momentum for achieving significant results within a short time frame.
The implications of these tracking results for African countries are significant. Many governments on the continent aligned their plans and partnership expectations with the Summit’s promises, particularly in trade, climate, food security, and infrastructure. While some commitments were delivered, the discontinuation of reporting and the rollback in foreign assistance under Trump 2.0 create a vacuum of both resources and predictability. For African countries, this shift heightens the risk of stalled projects, eroded trust in U.S. commitments, and a pivot toward alternative partners—most notably China, the EU, and regional initiatives—for financing and political support.
Trump 2.0 does not just signal uncertainty about the completion of unfulfilled commitments; it may also mark a structural weakening of U.S.-Africa relations. The multilateral cooperation that was central to achieving earlier outcomes is now at risk, as the new administration emphasizes bilateral deals and a reduced role in global institutions. This change could undermine Africa’s hard-won gains in collective representation on global platforms such as the G20 and limit opportunities for continent-wide initiatives such as AGOA. In this context, African countries need to double down on collective bargaining vis-à-vis development partners such as the U.S. At the same time, African countries need to accelerate diversification strategies to secure alternative pathways for development financing and international cooperation, while navigating a less predictable U.S. partnership moving forward.
