The United States of America's commercial strategy in Africa is evolving in line with the needs of its business community, according to Troy Fitrell, a senior bureau official at the Bureau of African Affairs in the US Department of State.
Fitrell, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2025 US-Africa Business Summit in Luanda, Angola, said markets and economies are vastly different from how they were 25 years ago and thus required a different approach from governments and businesses.
The US government, Fitrell pointed, is now focused on commercial diplomacy, with its representatives firmly instructed to engage with the African private sector.
"Our embassies work for you, the private sector. We have changed the incentive structure and our ambassadors are to be judged by how well they support you the private sector," he said, and encouraged African heads of state to question ambassadors who are unable to deliver such opportunities. "They should be offering you opportunities every day," he stressed.
Noting the opportunities for investments in physical and digital infrastructure in Africa, Fitrell said he embraces the challenge of presenting those opportunities to the 300,000 business-ready American companies who are not presently doing business in Africa.