Under the America First foreign policy agenda, the United States is moving away from traditional long-term development aid and nation-building in Africa, choosing instead to focus on transactional realism and short-term risk management[1]. Rather than working through global organisations like the World Health Organization or the United Nations, Washington relies on direct, one-on-one bargains that connect financial support to specific American security and economic goals[2]. These deals cover vital strategic areas, including securing access to critical mineral supply chains, sharing public health data, and accepting third-country deportees[1]. To maintain control, the U.S. writes contracts with strict progress targets, frequent reviews, and flexible cancellation rules, placing heavy financial and administrative burdens on host nations while constraining their local policy choices[8]. Although courts and parliaments in countries such as Kenya and Liberia have actively challenged these terms, protecting long-term African policy independence will require nations to negotiate together as a unified group through regional platforms like the Africa CDC.
