Advancing U.S. interests through the West African Partnership

The first West Africa AmCham Business Summit, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S. Africa Business Center (USAfBC) in partnership with the AmCham network across West Africa (Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Angola), aligned U.S. private sector capabilities with Africa’s growth ambitions and reaffirmed the importance of U.S. economic partnerships across Africa.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce organized a delegation of business executives to the AmCham Business Summit and also participated in conversations at the Africa CEO Forum and regional organizations poised to support U.S.-regional partnerships.

This summit advanced a clear vision that U.S. companies are not only ready, but actually strategically located, to deepen trade and investment with Africa.

Strategic engagement rooted in local realities

Africa, which will be home to one in four of the world’s people by 2050, is not just a partner of the future, but one of strategic importance today. Africa has significant commercial potential in industries such as agriculture, digital infrastructure, critical minerals, and energy, presenting growth opportunities for U.S. companies looking to diversify their markets and stabilize their supply chains. Fast-growing countries, particularly in West Africa, continue to boast consistently high economic growth rates, pro-business reforms, and other favorable macroeconomic trends.

The summit, held on the fringes of the Africa CEO Forum, began with a welcome from US Ambassador to Ivory Coast Jessica Davis Barr, who urged that the US presence in West Africa be visible, intentional, and responsive to business priorities.

A business delegation led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also visited the African Development Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan to learn how U.S. companies can participate in the approximately $10 billion in annual investments across Africa and how they can compete more effectively by gaining a deeper understanding of procurement systems and how financing works.

Commercial strategy with teeth: America competes for victory

Notably, the summit featured the formal launch of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs Trade and Diplomacy Strategy, announced by Ambassador Troy Fittrell, Senior Official for African Affairs.

“Africa should be our largest trading partner, but it is not. … That has to change,” Ambassador Fitrell said.

The strategy outlines six actions critical to increasing U.S. competitiveness on the continent.

At the core of trade diplomacy: U.S. ambassadors are now evaluated based on their ability to advance U.S. business interests and close deals. Pursue market reforms: Work with African governments to eliminate non-tariff barriers and create fairer competition for U.S. businesses. Prioritize infrastructure projects: Support high-impact infrastructure that aligns with U.S. commercial power, not vanity projects. Major trade diplomatic missions: influential visits by high-level officials focused on trade and investment rather than broad diplomatic dialogue. Connecting U.S. capital to opportunity: Unlocking access to African markets for more than 300,000 export-ready U.S. companies. Modernizing U.S. trade tools: Advocating for faster approvals by U.S. trade agencies, blended financing, and bolder risk-taking.

Another newsworthy highlight of the AmCham Summit was the announcement of the next US-Africa Leaders’ Summit to be held in the US later this year.

Practical solutions, real tools

Throughout the summit, panel discussions focused on challenges impacting U.S. and African stakeholders alike, including:

Agro-processing and food security: reducing Africa’s import dependence through localized value chains. Digital transformation and AI: See how U.S. technology can support smart cities and workforce development. Critical Minerals and Energy Financing: Positioning U.S. industry in the global race to ensure responsible mineral supply chains. Small Business Trade Inclusion: Enabling U.S. small businesses to compete and grow in West African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Each session continually emphasized one point: U.S. strategic investments are about more than capital: jobs, technology transfer, and long-term partnerships are important.

This philosophy was demonstrated as many companies signed contracts and announced partnership agreements with Ivorian partners, including the United States Chamber of Commerce.

strategic stop in ghana

USAfBC continued on to Accra, Ghana, where on May 16, 2025, the U.S. delegation met with senior officials from President John Mahama’s new administration to discuss cooperation in areas including energy, agribusiness, critical minerals, and digital innovation.

The delegation participated in a dialogue with the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Virginia Palmer. The discussion highlighted the opportunities and challenges in the Ghanaian market and the promising business reforms under President John Mahama’s administration.

Finally, an important visit to the AfCFTA Secretariat provided an update on the continent’s integration agenda, including new digital trade protocols that provide a promising investment pathway for American high-tech and e-commerce companies.

Meetings with the Ghana Investment Promotion Center, the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, and the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry laid the foundation for a deeper strategic partnership based on common interests in digital technologies, infrastructure solutions and critical minerals.

What’s next: From conversations to deals

As the Chamber’s delegation and the AmCham Business Summit made clear, American companies can and should play a greater role in shaping Africa’s economic future. Doing so is a matter of strategic national interest. Investing in Africa promotes American values, competitiveness, and long-term prosperity.

Looking forward, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center plans to build on this momentum with continued trade diplomacy and policy dialogue, including fostering agreements between the U.S. private sector and African counterparts at the upcoming U.S.-Africa Summit.

Learn more about opportunities to work with the U.S.-Africa Business Center.