WASHINGTON—The United States will focus on “investment-led and trade-driven growth” to stifle China’s malign influence in Africa and to fight Beijing’s attempts at global hegemony, according to Washington’s most senior official for African affairs.
In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy on June 4, Troy Fitrell, senior official in the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, said the U.S. government under President Donald Trump will counter Beijing’s “predatory and destabilizing” behavior with “credible, reliable, and fair alternatives” aimed at benefiting Africans and Americans.
He said the Trump administration is transforming the United States’ strategy on a continent that is key to human progress.
“We are fundamentally shifting our approach to Africa from one rooted primarily in development assistance to a strategy that prioritizes robust commercial engagement, recognizing and treating African nations as equal partners in trade and investment,” he said at the hearing.
“By focusing on private sector-led growth and empowering American companies to compete more effectively across sub-Saharan Africa, the administration is responding to long-standing gaps that have allowed global competitors, such as China, to dominate the continent and monopolize its natural resources to its own advantage and to the expense of Africans.”
Africa contains immense deposits of the critical minerals and precious metals needed for electronic products, energy grids, and weapons systems.
Currently, China dominates in the fields of extraction and processing of African minerals.
Fitrell told members of Congress that it is “imperative” for the United States and Africa “to be free of Beijing’s corrupt monopoly—especially in supply chains [they] rely on for defense and innovation.”
He acknowledged that previous administrations had “done too little” to compete commercially in sub-Saharan Africa or to support joint ventures with African partners in bilateral and supply chain trade.
The 30-year U.S. government veteran said this has already begun to change under Trump and that the United States is ready for greater economic engagement in Africa to counter China.
Fitrell said this makes sense, as Africa’s growing economies and population provide “extraordinary opportunities” for Americans and their businesses.
Quoting statistics from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, he said African economies have been growing at 6 percent per year and are expected to add $800 billion in gross domestic product by 2030.
Fitrell pointed out that the continent’s import demand is booming, saying that between 2000 and 2024, sub-Saharan African imports rose from $49 billion to $435 billion.
New sectors are arising rapidly in Africa, he said, using the region’s digital economy as an example.
Valued at $180 billion in 2024, it has quadrupled since 2016 and is projected to exceed $700 billion by 2050.
“As African countries negotiate continent-wide trade integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area, the U.S. has an opening to expand exports and investment in digital services, infrastructure, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing,” Fitrell said.
But in the face of these tremendous and growing opportunities, he noted, the U.S. share of exports to sub-Saharan Africa has been in sharp decline for decades, allowing China to dominate the region economically and to dominate access to the region’s critical minerals and other resources. This is all part of Beijing’s “global hegemony ambitions,” according to Fitrell.
Twenty-five years ago, Fitrell said, the United States was the second-largest exporter to sub-Saharan Africa, but China used “assertive, government-backed strategies” to capture African market share, to the extent that it exported $137 billion to sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, more than seven times the $19 billion that the United States exported.
This, Fitrell said, shows that the opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa “is not theoretical, it’s already being seized by ... adversaries.”
During his testimony, he repeatedly emphasized that the Trump administration’s approach in Africa would be to the mutual benefit of Africans, unlike China’s approach, which has often been accused of leading the continent into a debt trap.
“China’s strategy for economic dominance in Africa relies on a centralized, state-directed, and nationally resourced approach to dominating global markets and strategic supply chains, limiting foreign competitors, and making other economies dependent on China,“ Fitrell said. ”This is harmful to both American and African interests.
“China exploits Africa’s natural resources in its play for dominance and control over global critical mineral supply chains. This is a clear example of the economic, political, and national security threats that China’s influence in Africa poses to the United States’ and Africa’s safety, strength, and prosperity.”
Part of the Trump administration’s new approach in Africa will be to implement “high-quality” infrastructure projects on the continent, he said.
Since 2012, Beijing has built a lot of infrastructure in Africa under its Belt and Road Initiative, including roads and railways, but many studies have shown that the workmanship and materials used have often been of poor quality.
Fitrell said Washington would establish “commercial diplomacy missions with private sector representatives” in Africa to connect export-ready U.S. companies with African opportunities.
He said that U.S. trade and financing tools will be reformed “to better compete with China’s swift and risk-tolerant financing model.”
“Together, these efforts reflect a bold, action-oriented vision to increase U.S. exports and joint ventures with African partners, close trade imbalances, and foster lasting prosperity,” Fitrell told the subcommittee. “The strategy’s success relies on U.S. companies expanding into new markets and African partners creating enabling environments for transparent and lasting commerce.
“Ultimately, this approach offers a clear alternative to China’s model by favoring long-term quality, local capacity-building, and mutual respect over fleeting financial gains and economic dependency.”
Americans would benefit from all this, he said, because U.S. companies would profit and critical supply chains would be secured.
“The stakes for Africa, the United States, and the global community are high, but we are steadfast in our commitment to champion transparency, openness, and fair competition, driving innovation and fostering robust economic growth,” Fitrell said.
“As we deepen our economic engagement across Africa, we will counter the predatory and destabilizing influence of China with credible, reliable, and fair alternatives.”
