Daniele Nyirandutiye

The US State Department's new US-Africa Strategic Investment Program aims to catalyze private investment in Africa by offering up to $50 million in grants for projects de-risking investments in critical minerals and commercial diplomacy. The initiative shifts from USAID to the State Department and faces criticism for prioritizing trade over development, with debates over whether markets can be de-risked into existence.

The US aid-for-minerals strategy under the Trump administration has become controversial, with critics arguing it represents a more explicit articulation of longstanding practice rather than a novel approach. African governments are exercising caution and negotiating power, with Zambia recently opposing US attempts to tie health funding to critical mineral access, while competitors like China offer alternative partnerships.