October's Global Africa Summit did not feel like a conference held in the shadow of geopolitical headwinds. If anything, it felt like a market opening. In a packed hall just off Washington DC's Michigan Avenue, investors, founders and policymakers spoke less about what the US might do next in Africa and more about what they intend to do together - mobilise diaspora capital, scale essential infrastructure, and turn policy uncertainty into deal flow.
"The opportunities are endless when you ignite the diaspora," said former US Department of Commerce official Terri Batch, who now heads Los Angeles investment promoter GlobalLA.
"Business always finds a way. If Washington steps back, it creates space for entrepreneurs and diaspora investors to step forward. Africa is the future - and it's not even the future, it's now."