This week, the United States (US) Senate confirmed the new Assistant Secretary of State of African Affairs, Frank Garcia, filling a long-vacant position, potentially reshaping the US-African trade landscape to be more aligned with President Donald Trump’s own trade stance.

The Assistant Secretary of State (African Affairs), is the primary role overseeing the establishment and management of US-sub-Saharan African relations, guiding the Secretary of State’s decision-making process regarding the region.

The position had been vacant since the previous, President Joe Biden-nominated incumbent, Mary Catherine "Molly" Phee, left, serving from 2021-2025.

Frank Garcia had been a former senior staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, focusing on Africa-related intelligence matters, as well as having participated in various congressional delegation visits to the African continent. He studied at the universities of Rhode Island and South Carolina, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the National War College, and spent 28 years in the US Navy.

However, his nomination by the current US administration signals a shift in the US’s diplomatic priorities for Africa to be more in line with its trade-first strategy – possibly challenging China’s own trade dominance in the region.

In the context of the US’s historical African diplomatic strategy, Garcia stated: “US policy in Africa has emphasised aid and dependency with open-ended commitments and a focus on spreading divisive ideologies.”

The US has previously taken a position whereby it directly supported African countries through its own aid organisations such as the recently defunded United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – the primary American support organisation administering civilian foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. This contrasts with its new stated aim through “trade and investment for mutual benefit” indicating a broader, more practically aligned strategy, incorporating privately led development schemes in various economic sectors such as mining and manufacturing.