{"id":8637,"date":"2025-12-26T13:55:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/12\/26\/how-africa-is-asserting-itself-globally-despite-trump-dw-com\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T13:55:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:55:49","slug":"how-africa-is-asserting-itself-globally-despite-trump-dw-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/12\/26\/how-africa-is-asserting-itself-globally-despite-trump-dw-com\/","title":{"rendered":"How Africa is asserting itself globally \u2014 despite Trump – dw.com"},"content":{"rendered":"
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January 20 was a turning point for the entire world:\u00a0The day that Donald Trump<\/a> moved back into the White House marked a significant change in the course of global politics.<\/p>\n

Within a few months, Trump had introduced punitive tariffs and\u00a0restrictive visa policies, had withdrawn the US from major international structures such as the Paris climate agreement<\/a> and the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a>, and had dismantled most of the work of US development agency, USAID.<\/p>\n

The message that the US remains the world’s foremost superpower\u00a0was heard loud and clear. But to what extent can Washington dictate its terms to the rest of the globe?<\/p>\n

\"Workers
Lesotho’s textile industry faces major challenges in light of hefty US tariffsImage: ROBERTA CIUCCIO\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Africa’s indifferent response to Trump<\/h2>\n

Despite all the turmoil Trump’s policies caused around the world, the impact of the his tariffs<\/a> on everyday life in African countries was limited, according to Ovigwe Eguegu, an analyst working for the independent consulting firm Development Reimagined.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The continent is still on the right track. Africa does not have a large export market for processed products to the US.\u00a0Only raw materials such as oil, gas, critical raw materials\u00a0and metals are exported,”\u00a0Eguegu explained, stressing that often\u00a0there are\u00a0no tariffs\u00a0levied at all for those exports.<\/p>\n

Even when the AGOA trade agreement<\/a> expired at the end of September, which had the intention of fostering growth and opportunity between the US and African countries, the reaction on the continent was quite muted.<\/p>\n

The hardest-hit African countries by Trump’s policies were Lesotho<\/a>, which for years\u00a0has been manufacturing denim for the\u00a0US market and\u00a0now has to pay 50% in\u00a0tariffs, and\u00a0car exporter South Africa<\/a>, which faces a 30%\u00a0tariff hike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Participating
United but without US President Trump: The G20 heads of state and government displayed a sense of unity in Johannesburg, at least during this photo-opImage: Michael Kappeler\/dpa-Pool\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

South Africa: G20 success\u00a0<\/h2>\n

South Africa’s relations with Washington grew\u00a0particularly sour over the course of 2025. Two weeks into his presidency, Trump announced that “terrible things” were happening to white farmers in the country, referring to alleged massacres of the country’s white minority, in particular farmers.<\/p>\n

While violent crime rates remain high throughout\u00a0South Africa, claims of targeted killings against white farmers orchestrated by\u00a0the government\u00a0have repeatedly\u00a0been debunked\u00a0\u2014 not enough for the US leader\u00a0though.<\/p>\n

Pretoria was further\u00a0upset\u00a0when, soon thereafter, Trump started granting fast-track\u00a0political asylum to a group of white South African farmers<\/a>\u00a0, which cast South Africa in a bad light the year it took over the rotating chairmanship of the G20.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/g><\/svg>Why is Trump going after South Africa over land reforms?<\/h2>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p><\/video><\/div>\n

When the country finally got around to\u00a0hosting\u00a0the first G20 summit on African soil<\/a> in November, the US president and his administration refused to attend<\/a>;. Trump has continued to single out South Africa as his pariah state of choice, going as far as not extending an invitation to the country to come to the next G20 summit, due to be held in Miami next year.<\/p>\n

Still the G20 summit in Johannesburg was a success, says Noncedo Vutula, a researcher at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance.\u00a0“The discussions were rich and took into account all the different points of view that had been debated in the run-up to the summit,”\u00a0Vutula told\u00a0DW.<\/p>\n

For South Africa, it was particularly gratifying that a joint summit declaration<\/a>\u00a0committed\u00a0the G20 to multilateralism \u2014 much to the ire of\u00a0Washington, which had tried to prevent a declaration from being formulated without\u00a0US participation.<\/p>\n

The declaration of intent also expressed a commitment to\u00a0further strengthening “Africa’s voice in the G20 and all other international forums.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Several
Cultivating closer cooperation: The EU-AU summit held in Luanda in November 2025 was a success for the African continentImage: Michael Kappeler\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

G20 declaration\u00a0echoes throughout Africa \u2014 and beyond<\/h2>\n

The symbolic power of such a declaration of intent, placing Africa firmly on the world stage, cannot be underestimated for a continent that has been striving for decades to emerge from the shadow of its colonial past.<\/p>\n

It set the stage for the African Union-European Union summit<\/a> which was held just days later in the Angolan capital Luanda. As host of the event, President Joao Lourenco\u00a0doubled down on the G20\u00a0message, saying that “the world does not consist of just one or two countries. We work with anyone who is open to us,” and firmly\u00a0casting Africa as the maker of its own destiny.<\/p>\n

At the meeting in Luanda, Africa’s\u00a0European partners reaffirmed their support for major infrastructure projects \u2014\u00a0such as further improving the Lobito Corridor in Angola, a major economic route that connects the Port of Lobito to the DRC and Zambia. This was seen as a further sign that\u00a0European nations and other partners are beginning to realize that they cannot dictate one-sided terms to the continent.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/g><\/svg>EU-Africa summit in Angola \u2014 a chance for change?<\/h2>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p><\/video><\/div>\n

“What is needed is a dynamic in which cooperation is structured to benefit both sides,”\u00a0said\u00a0Eguegu, adding that due to centuries of shared history, Europe\u00a0remains a desirable partner for many African countries.<\/p>\n

However, he also highlighted\u00a0that there is\u00a0some competition, that\u00a0Europe has to catch up<\/a>\u00a0to, as African nations are still expanding their relations with China, Russia and smaller players such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0became even more apparent\u00a0at the AU-EU summit. While those talks were taking place,\u00a0China concluded\u00a0another billion-dollar agreement with Zambia\u00a0to expand the East African rail network, showing that Beijing\u00a0is ready to compete with the planned infrastructure upgrades on the Lobito Corridor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wars and military rule slow down development<\/h2>\n

However\u00a02025 was not a year of success in\u00a0all corners of the continent. Africa’s role in the world continues to be dampened by\u00a0major crises and conflicts, such as the civil war in Sudan<\/a>, which is now well into its third year,\u00a0and\u00a0tensions in eastern Congo, which continue\u00a0despite multiple international mediation<\/a> efforts \u2014\u00a0including those spearhaded by the US<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, there are now eight African countries currently under military rule<\/a>, with little to no\u00a0prospect of a return to democracy.\u00a0In 2025,\u00a0Madagascar<\/a> and Guinea-Bissau<\/a> were added to the list of African countries, where coups and subsequent junta leaderships made the future uncertain for citizens, observers and investors alike.<\/p>\n

A more peaceful Africa would contribute significantly to\u00a0overall economic development, says researcher Vutula, while Eguegu argues that part of the problem is the fact that Africa remains dependent on the influence of foreign powers to this day.<\/p>\n

“That is the political reality of weak states. Because the continent is full of weak states, and weak states have neither the capacity nor the political experience\u00a0[to succeed],” he says. “Their national circumstances make them vulnerable to external influences,” he explained, arguing that this is why across so many parts of the continent, militaries have opted to dictate the future direction of their respective countries instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"General
Guinea-Bissau’s transitional president, General Horta N’Ta, and his military government claim that “normalcy” will return to the country within a yearImage: Patrick Meinhardt\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moving forward together with developing countries<\/h2>\n

Many African countries, meanwhile, are also still\u00a0being held back in their economic development due to\u00a0high levels of national debt on their balance sheets, especially in low-income countries.<\/p>\n

This was also recognized\u00a0during\u00a0the G20 meeting\u00a0with the summit declaration noting “with concern that interest payments on total external debt have increased significantly and more than doubled for low-income countries over the past decade.”<\/p>\n

Noncedo Vutula believes that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)<\/a> could serve as a pathway to\u00a0greater economic independence,\u00a0emphasizing\u00a0that while most African countries have already ratified the agreement, there are still some challenges to overcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It gives Africa hope that we can trade with each other. We can build regional value chains in Africa and ensure that Africa’s economies develop,” she told DW, adding that Africa has to go beyond its continental borders and reach out to other nations and regions in the Global South to make progress together.<\/p>\n

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<\/g><\/svg>‘Africans should always put themselves first’ <\/h2>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p><\/video><\/div>\n

Edited by: Sertan Sanderson<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January 20 was a turning point for the entire world:\u00a0The day that Donald Trump moved back into the White House marked a significant change in the course of global politics. Within a few months, Trump had introduced punitive tariffs and\u00a0restrictive visa policies, had withdrawn the US from major international structures such as the Paris climate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}