Monday March 10, 2025
By Abdirahim Mohamed Hassan
FILE — President Donald Trump holds an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington.
On 20 January, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 67th president of the United States. In the weeks preceding his inauguration, he issued a series of controversial statements. The return of Trump to the White House brought mixed perspectives to international politics. His resurgence was evident even before Election Day, as opponents appeared to falter in the campaign. Many political commentators began analyzing his return to power before the announcement of the election results. Everyone understood the implications of Trump's return to global politics. In response, just minutes after his inauguration, he signed 26 executive orders and 12 memos. This created a booming reaction from all over the world. These executive orders he signed in his first minutes of office included critical issues and policies that have global implications, including withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the 2015 Paris Agreement.
These seismic shifts in U.S. foreign policy under the resurgent Trump administration have reverberated across the globe, but nowhere more profoundly than in Africa. From the abrupt dismantling of USAID to the contentious diplomatic confrontations with European allies and Ukraine, President Donald Trump's "America First" doctrine has upended decades of established international norms. This time Africa must take note of Trump's re-emergence as a call for wake-up. Drawing from his recent actions redefines international relations through a strictly realist lens—one that prioritizes U.S. interests over multilateral cooperation. It also validated dependency theory's core critique.
Trump's foreign policy approach centered on America First, should signal to African leaders the need to develop key policy strategies that elevate the continent from the ground up. It should represent more than just a temporary disruption; it is an urgent call to recalibrate economic strategies, deepen regional integration, and forge partnerships beyond traditional Western benefactors. Trump's Tuesday speech before a joint session of the United States Congress, he precisely mentioned that America had been ripped off by decades: "We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on earth, and we will not let that happen any longer." Trump's approach to foreign policy is based on the assumption that the U.S. global position is declining because its leadership allowed the country to be exploited in recent decades – both by partners and allies and by adversaries.
From an international relations perspective, Trump's policies reinforce a realist worldview, where power dynamics, rather than cooperative engagement, dictate global affairs. Africa must respond with strategic foresight. Trump's policies have also inadvertently validated dependency theory's core critique that North-South aid architectures perpetuate extractive relationships. The 2025 aid freeze exposed Africa's vulnerability to donor whims, with 26% of continental ODA ($15.5 billion) evaporating overnight. The continent must rethink its dependency on external actors and strengthen intra-African trade, security collaboration, and independent policymaking.
In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, the Trump administration's January 2025 executive order suspending foreign aid has severely impacted USAID's $12 billion annual programming. Similarly, during his first term, Africa faced sudden funding cuts, altered military engagements, and a marked disengagement from traditional diplomatic relations. If history is any guide, his second term will likely follow the same trajectory.
According to data modelling by the Institute for Security Studies projects catastrophic outcomes, 5.7 million additional Africans will fall into extreme poverty (<$2.15/day) by 2026 if Trump's administration succeeds in its aid-reduction ambition. Another recent blow to Africa is the announcement of the World Food Programme's closure of its office in South Africa following the Trump administration's recent foreign aid cuts. Additionally, the agency had already initiated a restructuring plan in 2023. However, the worsening donor funding outlook has necessitated an acceleration of those efforts. The agency will consolidate its southern and East Africa operations into a single regional office in Nairobi, Kenya while shutting down its Johannesburg office. Trump's actions have already had an immediate impact on the continent.
These cuts exemplify Trump's transactional foreign policy, which subordinates developmental goals to perceived U.S. strategic interests. By merging USAID into the State Department, the administration has erased the distinction between humanitarian assistance and diplomatic leverage. Such selectivity aligns with realist scholar John Mearsheimer's assertion that "great powers always act in ways that maximize their relative power advantage.
Meanwhile, China's influence in Africa continues to rise. With Trump's expected focus on reducing U.S. engagement, African nations may turn more decisively toward Beijing, further entrenching China's economic and political leverage on the continent. While this shift may seem pragmatic, it raises concerns about the long-term implications of debt dependency and political alignment. Engagement with middle powers such as Turkey through partnership and cooperation rather than dependency provides alternatives to retreating Western partners.
The Trump administration's foreign policy has laid bare the fragility of Africa's external dependencies. Yet, within this crisis lies an unprecedented opportunity to redefine the continent's global posture. By leveraging great power competition, accelerating continental integration, and prioritizing domestic resource efficacy, African states can transform this moment of upheaval into a catalyst for structural transformation. The path forward demands neither nostalgic longing for liberal internationalism nor passive acquiescence to realpolitik—but rather, a bold assertion of African agency in shaping the multipolar world order. As the ruins of USAID are cleared, the foundations for a self-reliant Africa must rise in their place. Africa must recognize the moment for what it is—a wake-up call to redefine its place in global affairs. Will the continent seize the opportunity, or will it remain a passive actor in the shifting tides of international politics? The choice is Africa's to make.
Abdirahim Mohamed Hassan is an independent researcher, blogger, and holds an MA in African Studies.