By Jeffery Kazembe Batts
IG:@kazbatts
Russia just concluded it’s third Russia / Africa summit in the last 7 years with 17 African heads of state gathering in Moscow recently. China has long been Africa’s largest trading partner. Neither Russia or China has an African ( I mean Black-skinned and proudly affirming) population the six of the 50 million people in the USA who affirm an African identity, Africa, a continent with 54 different nations and a billion-plus people.
A very complex place. As humans living in the USA, let us briefly analyze how the Trump administration is relating to three African nations and how our mandatorily paid taxes are impacting facts on the ground and the quality of life. Can a successful U.S.-Africa relationship be built on mutual benefit, respect for African priorities, and shared prosperity rather than dependency or exploitation? In this regard how is the 47th American president’s administration relating to the three most populous African nations?
Nigeria: The African Giant
For Washington, Nigeria is both an economic and strategic ally. For Nigerians, stronger ties can support development through investment, technology transfer, and expanded trade. Nigeria’s oil and gas resources continue to attract American interest, while the country’s growing demand for electricity creates opportunities in power generation, transmission, renewable energy, and infrastructure development. Nigeria’s technology sector is another area of promise. The country has built one of Africa’s leading fintech and startup ecosystems. Increased American engagement could help local businesses gain access to capital, expertise, and international markets.
Yet Nigeria’s challenges remain significant.
Many citizens continue to face unemployment, inflation, unreliable electricity, inadequate infrastructure, and rising living costs. Economic growth has not always translated into wider prosperity. Dependence on petroleum revenues, governance concerns, and corruption continue to slow diversification. To gain the full benefits of foreign partnerships, Nigeria, a nation of 220 million people, must strengthen institutions, improve transparency, expand manufacturing, and create jobs for its growing youth population.
Security is also a major concern. Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) remain active in the northeast, while banditry and communal conflicts affect other regions. On Christmas last year, the USA delivered a gift in the form of bombing the northwest part of the country. U.S. security cooperation can help, but long-term stability depends on Nigerian-led solutions that combine security with economic opportunity and community development.
Democratic Republic of Congo:
The Bleeding Heart
Few countries reflect Africa’s opportunities and challenges as does the 100 million-plus people spread across the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rich in cobalt, copper, coltan, lithium, and other critical minerals, the DRC sits at the center of the global demand for resources needed for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and modern technology. As the green energy transition accelerates, the DRC’s strategic importance continues to grow. This gives the country a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships with the United States and other global powers. American investment in mining, infrastructure, energy, and mineral processing could create jobs and support economic growth.
More importantly, the DRC can move beyond exporting raw materials and instead develop local industries that add value before export. Congolese leaders increasingly seek agreements that support processing, manufacturing, workforce development, and technology transfer to retain more wealth domestically and reduce dependence on raw commodity exports. Two developments warrant scrutiny to ensure broad public benefit: the Lobito Accord, where a resource extraction corridor through Angola is under construction, and the Washington Accords, signed by Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda President Paul Kagame with Trump present.
The central challenge is translating mineral wealth into better lives for ordinary citizens. For decades, abundant resources have coexisted with poverty, inadequate infrastructure, poor public services, and limited economic opportunities. Real progress requires transparent governance, fair labor standards, environmental protection, and accountable institutions.
Security remains another major challenge. Eastern Congo continues to experience violence, displacement, and instability involving armed groups, including M23. Regional tensions and resource competition have complicated peace efforts. Lasting development will depend on both economic investment and sustainable peace.
Ethiopia: Biblical and Never Conquered
With more than 120 million people and a strategic location in the Horn of Africa, it is a major center of regional diplomacy and economic activity. Its position near the Red Sea and major shipping routes gives it considerable geopolitical importance. As host of the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa also serves as a key center for continental diplomacy.
As U.S. policy places greater emphasis on trade and investment, questions remain about how aid and commercial engagement will be balanced. The reality is that Ethiopia still faces serious humanitarian challenges. Conflict, drought, displacement, and food insecurity continue to affect many communities. Areas impacted by violence, including parts of Tigray and Amhara, still require humanitarian support and recovery assistance. At the same time, Ethiopia offers major opportunities for investment in energy, telecommunications, aviation, tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) symbolizes the country’s ambition to increase electricity production and build a stronger, more industrialized economy. Disputes with Egypt and Sudan over Nile River water management continue. Pouring oil on fire, Trump once outrageously uttered that Egypt should “just bomb the GERD”. However, we know economic progress depends on political stability, not war.
Ethiopia’s organization, consisting of ethnically identified decentralized states as opposed to a centralized national identity, is at the core of the varied, ongoing secession movements that are problematic for national unity. For Ethiopia, the goal is clear: attract productive investment, have an agreed-upon port on the Red Sea, maintain essential humanitarian support and build the economy.
A Pan-African Vision for the Future
Africa’s three most populous countries, not including Egypt, are Nigeria, the DRC, and Ethiopia. The United States government, pushed by assertive and progressive residents and citizens can be an important partner. through trade, investment, technology, education, and diplomacy. However, African leaders must ensure that these partnerships support long-term development, strengthen institutions, create jobs, and expand opportunities for future generations. U.S.-Africa relations will succeed only when they help create, more stable societies, and greater opportunities across the continent. Will Africans in the USA be aware and help to create scenarios where the USA government allow African nations to thrive and the people to have a better quality of life.