The United States is pointing to an “African growth boom” that officials say has coincided with a policy shift from aid to trade. U.S. diplomats, including Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs Frank Garcia, and outside analysts have highlighted rising exports, dozens of closed commercial deals and a wave of bilateral health agreements as evidence of stronger growth in parts of the continent.
U.S. claims on the African growth boom
Senior U.S. officials speaking to Fox News Digital framed a deliberate policy shift from aid to trade as a key factor in recent expansion in parts of Africa. Assistant Secretary Frank Garcia told Fox News that “nine of the 20 fastest-growing economies (in the world) are in Africa,” a claim Garcia attributed to U.S. government economic monitoring. Officials described the change as part of a broader Commercial Diplomacy Strategy focused on private-sector-led growth rather than indefinite grant-based assistance.
U.S. spokespeople emphasized that the shift is intentional: officials told Fox News the administration reduced some USAID grant programs and prioritized trade promotion and commercial engagement. Reported USAID funding cuts of roughly 83% early last year are cited in the Fox News reporting; that figure was presented to reporters by administration sources and has not been independently verified by The Nonstop News.
Trade deals, exports and closed transactions
To support the trade argument, U.S. officials and the Bureau of African Affairs told Fox News Digital that U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa rose about 23% to $22.6 billion in 2025. The Bureau also said it assisted on 37 commercial transactions that closed under the current administration, with a combined reported value of $25.67 billion. Those totals and the descriptive sector shares (energy, ICT, mining/critical minerals, agriculture and infrastructure) were provided to Fox News by U.S. diplomatic sources and the Bureau of African Affairs.
Officials described embassy-led efforts to remove regulatory barriers, advise on reforms and shepherd investments. The administration says those 37 transactions and export gains demonstrate conversion of diplomacy into private-sector commitments; independent auditors and regional economists will need to track how many of those commitments become sustained operations and local employment over time. The transaction and export figures above are reported by U.S. officials to Fox News and are noted here as their claims.
Health funding changes and the PEPFAR move
On health, a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital the United States has signed 34 bilateral global health Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) representing more than $24 billion in new health financing commitments: officials characterized this as comprising roughly $14.3 billion in U.S. assistance and about $9.6 billion in partner-country co-investment. The State Department official said 24 of the MOUs are with sub-Saharan African countries and framed the agreements as intended to sustain services while increasing local ownership.
That same senior State Department official told reporters the United States has initiated a phased drawdown of PEPFAR programming in South Africa after what the administration described as unmet policy conditions. Officials said the drawdown is gradual and framed it as a transition toward country-led financing and systems; those characterizations and the timing were provided to Fox News by the State Department and have not been independently confirmed here.
IMF forecasts and local growth drivers
Outside economic context cited by Fox News includes International Monetary Fund projections. The IMF projects sub-Saharan Africa to grow between 4.3% and 4.6% in 2026, according to the reporting; that IMF projection was cited to provide regional context and was described to reporters as likely to outpace Asia overall at about 4.1%. The reference to IMF projections here follows the Fox News account and is attributed to the IMF as cited in that reporting.
Regional analysts quoted to Fox News and referenced by U.S. officials point to a mix of local drivers that may support above-trend growth in specific countries: hydroelectric construction and large infrastructure projects in several countries, expanded mining and critical-minerals activity, and rising coffee and other commodity exports in parts of East Africa. The article also reports that Ethiopian authorities revised upward 2026 growth forecasts, a revision noted in the public statements and press materials cited by the reporting.
All IMF numbers and national forecast revisions are presented here as cited by those institutions or officials in the Fox News reporting; independent verification of how much of the regional growth is directly attributable to the U.S. trade pivot is not claimed in this piece.
Implications for U.S.-Africa relations
The rollout of the Commercial Diplomacy Strategy and the America First Global Health Strategy signals a tactical shift in U.S. engagement: officials emphasize mobilizing private investment, forging commercial partnerships and encouraging country ownership over long-term grant dependence. The administration told Fox News it expects this approach to unlock sustainable private capital and reduce reliance on U.S. budgets for routine service delivery.
Supporters argue that trade-led strategies can create jobs and stronger institutions if regulatory reforms and local capacity build alongside investment. Critics warn that where governments lack capacity or private markets fail to provide essential services, scaled-back aid can create gaps in health and social safety nets. Observers quoted in the reporting said close monitoring will be needed to ensure commercial deals translate into employment and durable services rather than short-term contractual activity.
U.S. diplomats told Fox News they are using embassy resources to de-risk projects and coordinate with host governments and the private sector. Those officials framed the shift as pragmatic, but they acknowledged — in statements to reporters — that outcomes will vary by country and that claims about widespread “boom” conditions should be read alongside data and independent analysis.
Source attribution
Primary reporting for the claims cited in this article: Fox News Digital, “African growth boom follows Trump push to replace aid with trade.” Named U.S. officials cited in the Fox News reporting include Assistant Secretary Frank Garcia (Bureau of African Affairs) and a senior State Department official who discussed the MOUs and the PEPFAR drawdown. The Bureau of African Affairs and the State Department provided the export, transaction and MOU figures to Fox News.
IMF growth projections cited in the reporting are attributed to the International Monetary Fund as described in the Fox News piece. All numerical totals and causal attributions in this article are reported as claims by U.S. officials or by the institutions they cited to Fox News and have not been independently verified by The Nonstop News. Readers should view the figures and the causal linkage between U.S. policy shifts and continental growth with that caveat in mind.
Fox News source: African growth boom follows Trump push to replace aid with trade
