From June 22 to 25, the 17th U.S.-Africa Business Summit took place, hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa and the President of Angola. The event saw a record attendance of over 2,700 leaders from both public and private sectors in the U.S. and Africa, including 12 African Heads of State.
The U.S. delegation was led by Ambassador Troy Fitrell, Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs. It included senior officials such as Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Africa; Thomas Hardy, Acting Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency; Constance Hamilton, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa; Connor Coleman, Head of Investments and Chief of Staff at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation; and Tamara Maxwell, Senior Vice President for Small Business at the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
The summit aimed to secure key deals and commitments to enhance trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa. It aligned with the Trump Administration’s Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for Africa.
During the summit, more than $2.5 billion in new deals and commitments were announced between U.S. and African partners. This emphasized a focus on trade over aid in engaging Africans as peers in investment-led growth.
Several major deals were highlighted:
Amer-Con Corporation signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Angola's Cargo and Logistics Certification Regulatory Agency to build 22 grain silo terminals along the Lobito Corridor.
Cybastion entered into a $170 million deal with Angola Telecom to expand digital infrastructure through its "Digital Fast Track" initiative.
CEC Africa Sierra Leone Ltd., in partnership with AG&P, will develop West Africa’s first U.S.-sourced LNG terminal supported by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
Ruzizi III Holding Power Company partnered with Anzana Electric Group for a hydropower project spanning Rwanda and DRC.
Ethiopia Investment Holdings agreed with U.S. International Finance Partners on a $200 million investment in luxury hotels and tourism infrastructure in Ethiopia.
Hydro-Link signed an agreement with Angola to develop a $1.5 billion transmission line connecting hydropower sites to mineral mines in DRC.
These agreements are expected to significantly boost trade relations between the United States and various African nations while supporting economic development across multiple sectors.