Lawmakers Warn Trump’s Trade Measures Could Reverse Decades of U.S.-Africa Progress

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

A group of U.S. lawmakers has expressed serious concerns over the Trump Administration’s approach to trade and economic engagement with African nations, warning that recent policy shifts could undermine long-standing commercial and development partnerships.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, members of Congress including Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (Member of Congress), Johnny Olszewski Jr. (Member of Congress), Sara Jacobs (Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Africa, House Foreign Affairs Committee), Jonathan L. Jackson (Member of Congress), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Member of Congress), Pramila Jayapal (Member of Congress), Sarah McBride (Member of Congress), highlighted the negative impact of dismantling USAID and curtailing decades of foreign assistance programs in Africa.

The letter criticised the Administration's "trade not aid" approach, first publicly articulated by former U.S. Bureau of African Affairs official Troy Fitrell during a summit in Côte d’Ivoire in May 2025. While Fitrell described commerce as “an exchange between equals” as opposed to traditional aid, lawmakers argued that recent tariffs and the scaling back of development programs could hinder the very commercial diplomacy the Administration aims to promote.

Citing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Congress members warned that new U.S. tariffs, including a general 10% tariff on African goods and spikes of up to 50% for countries such as Lesotho, jeopardise a program that has created over 300,000 jobs across Africa while supporting nearly 120,000 American jobs. In 2024 alone, U.S. imports from Africa under AGOA totalled more than $8 billion.

"AGOA has long fostered economic growth, market liberalisation, and adherence to good governance standards in Africa," the lawmakers wrote. "The Administration's tariffs and indifference to the program's continuation undermine these achievements and risk reversing decades of progress."

The letter also criticised the termination of the Prosper Africa initiative, launched in 2019 by President Trump during his first mandate to boost U.S.-Africa trade and investment. Between mid-2019 and 2025, the program facilitated nearly 2,500 deals valued at $130 billion, including a $110 million investment in Nigerian banking systems and $20 million in Kenyan healthcare. Lawmakers warned that the closure of USAID, which administered Prosper Africa, removed a crucial tool for fostering trade and investment on the continent.

While acknowledging the Administration’s stated goal of increasing African trade, the lawmakers stressed that the current trade and tariff policies risk diminishing U.S.-Africa commercial engagement. They urged the Administration to revise its tactics and outline a strategy to implement trade- and development-friendly policies that would enhance economic ties with African nations.

The letter reflects growing concern in Congress over the future of U.S.-Africa relations and accentuates the bipartisan importance of initiatives like AGOA and Prosper Africa, which have historically promoted jobs, economic growth, and democratic governance across the continent.