The upcoming U.S.–Africa Summit presents a pivotal opportunity for Washington to redefine its partnership with African nations. But if the Trump administration wants this summit to drive results, not just headlines, it must center U.S.–Africa tech diplomacy at its core. As China, the EU, and others deepen digital influence across Africa, the U.S. risks losing ground unless it modernizes its technology strategy.
The Tech Gap in U.S.–Africa Policy
Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Visa have been ploughing money into Africa’s digital infrastructure. Yet while this has happened, the policies from the U.S. government have fallen behind. Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) was recognized as a step in the right direction, but remains underfunded and hollowed out by fragmentation. In the State Department, the word is “aspirational,” utterly engulfed in bureaucratic delay and simply not in step with the all-encompassing, state-driven tech diplomacy of Beijing.
Where Huawei leads the telecom backbone in Africa, partnerships around AI, 5G, and cloud have rapidly matured. The EU and India have also started pushing more influence via their own digital agreements. The U.S., in comparison, is still mostly reactive. A turnaround for U.S.-Africa tech diplomacy is essential if Washington wants to make itself relevant to the young, digitally ambitious population of Africa.
Strategic Engagement: Lessons from the Gulf
President Trump’s May 2025 Gulf visit illustrates an action of proactive technology diplomacy. While it was ridiculed as a mere transaction, the reality was indeed more complex: With the huge $1.4 trillion pledges by the UAE to U.S. AI firms and Qatar’s symbolic gesture worthy of a Boeing gift, a much deeper strategic shift was taking place— one founded on shared investments in AI, clean energy, and space technology.
The $200-plus billion in deals inked under the tour were not handouts; they were investments in mutual modernization. Jobs and influence were Washington’s gains, while the Gulf nations advanced their digital economies. This model—pragmatic, reciprocal, and future-oriented—sets well-defined examples for U.S.-Africa tech diplomacy. Africa deserves to be treated with the same respect, not given aid packages full of hollow promises.
Oval Office Engagement Isn’t Cosmetic—It’s Strategic
History shows that real engagement starts at the top. As Judd Devermont and Bobby Pittman say, presidents who regularly met with African leaders, such as George W. Bush, were able to produce sustainable programs like PEPFAR and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Biden’s record, ironically, does not compete well with the above. Very little time is indeed devoted to receiving African leaders in the Oval Office, and, oddly enough, most of it was concentrated around the 2022 summit. This limits the premium on trust and narrows the scope for influence. Greater engagement is necessary to cement credibility in an era where leadership is largely seen today.
In other words, leading U.S.-Africa tech diplomacy cannot be all talk. Face time with African tech hubs such as Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana is necessary to ensure trusted and lasting digital cooperation.
Digital Strategy Can’t Be Delegated to Silicon Valley
Relying solely on U.S. tech firms like Elon Musk’s Starlink to lead digital expansion in Africa is risky. Though Starlink is growing fast, it has also sparked regulatory challenges. Without diplomatic scaffolding, such efforts can create friction instead of progress.
President Trump’s Gulf tour showed how public-private alignment works when national strategy supports corporate entry. Whether enabling nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia or fintech in the UAE, his team used statecraft to open doors—something missing in much of today’s U.S.–Africa tech diplomacy.
A Call for Bold Action at the Summit
To avoid another cycle of high hopes and weak follow-through, the upcoming U.S.–Africa Summit must deliver:
- Digital bilateral pacts with innovation leaders like Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal
- Real funding for the DTA strategy, with clear timelines and metrics
- DFC investment in Africa’s fiber networks, cloud infrastructure, and data centers
- USAID support for digital public goods—from e-health systems to digital ID platforms
- Presidential-level diplomacy beyond the “big four” (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Angola)
This is how U.S.–Africa tech diplomacy moves from paper to progress.
Influence is Earned, Not Assumed
Critics laughed at the ceremonial fanfare Trump received in Riyadh. But those optics reflected a broader shift: Gulf states were choosing economic modernization, and they saw the U.S. as a partner in that vision.
Africa’s youth—digitally fluent and globally connected—are watching closely. They want tools, not lectures; broadband, not bureaucracy. If the U.S. doesn’t invest in a digital future for Africa, others will.
Done right, U.S.–Africa tech diplomacy could define the next decade of shared growth. But Washington must act now—before the continent’s future is written without it.
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