African Union leaders gather for 39th annual summit amid Trump-era policy shifts

Key facts

• The 39th African Union leaders’ summit began with all 55 member states represented.
• US President Donald Trump did not attend the summit but his second-term policies dominated discussions.
• The White House National Security Strategy released in November devoted only three paragraphs to Africa at the end of its 29 pages.
• Trump has dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and cancelled billions in aid programmes that had provided an estimated 26 percent of Africa’s foreign aid.
• US direct foreign investment in Africa stood at USD 47.47 billion as of 2024.
• The Center for Global Development estimated Trump’s aid cuts could cause 500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths annually, with evidence already seen in rising malnutrition mortality in northern Nigeria and Somalia, food insecurity in northeast Kenya and malaria deaths in northern Cameroon.
• Service interruptions have hit the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programmes across Africa after Trump’s funding freeze.
• The Trump administration has pursued at least 16 preliminary bilateral public-health aid agreements with African countries including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mozambique and Kenya under its 'America First global health strategy'.
• In April, the US imposed custom tariffs on 20 African countries ranging from 11 percent to 50 percent, with another 29 facing a baseline 10 percent tariff; Lesotho initially faced 50 percent and Madagascar 47 percent, later reduced to 15 percent each.
• Trump temporarily extended the African Growth and Opportunity Act only through the end of 2026, allowing eligible countries to export 1,800 products duty-free to the US.
• The US has stopped processing immigration visas for 75 countries, including 26 African Union member states, prompting three African nations to impose reciprocal travel bans on US citizens.