Four pillars of US-Africa relations

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Speaking for Rwanda or more broadly for the African diplomatic corps, how do diplomats create mutual benefits for the U.S. and for their own countries?

[00:00:11]Our engagement with United States is increasingly structured around the key pillars.

[00:00:17]The first is economic partnership and investment.

[00:00:20]As I mentioned before, the focus today is on moving from aid to trade while mobilizing U.S. private sector investment in key sectors, and we are hoping to see a two-way investment and value chains that benefit both sides.

[00:00:36]We are looking for a win-win situation between what we do with United States and African countries.

[00:00:42]The second is peace and security cooperation.

[00:00:46]Many African countries are key partners with United States, whether they are fighting against terrorism, whether it's engagement in peacekeeping, like my country.

[00:00:57]So there are many areas with a shared interest.

[00:01:00]So it's not just a security objective when we talk about that, but also a prerequisite for economic growth, right, and investment.

[00:01:09]You can't have those without peace and security.

[00:01:12]Absolutely.

[00:01:14]The third I'm mentioning is health and human development.

[00:01:18]Long-standing programs such as PEPFAR, that is a signature program that United States started that was a lifesaver, has demonstrated the impact of a sustained partnership.

[00:01:31]So as now, with U.S., we are now building on that, on the PEPFAR and those successes to strengthen the health systems, pandemic preparedness, but also local capacity, development of local capacity when it comes to health and many other things.

[00:01:48]And the fourth that I mentioned briefly is in technology and innovation.

[00:01:53]There's a growing alignment around digital transformation, AI, and energy transitions.

[00:02:00]So these are the areas where African countries offer both opportunity and strategic relevance, particularly in the context of global supply chains.