US President Donald Trumps trade war is impacting Africa as factories shutter, jobs vanish, and alliances shift. With billions at stake, will the continent bow to US pressure or seize independence on its own terms?
In 2025, US President Donald Trumps tariff war hit Africa harder than any other region. Lesothos factories shuttered, tens of thousands of jobs in Madagascar teetered on the brink, and the once-praised African Growth and Opportunity Act lay in ruins.
With intra-African trade stuck at just 15%, leaving $500 billion in potential untapped, and the gains of the African Continental Free Trade Area at risk, the continent now faces a pivotal choice: bow to Washingtons economic choke-hold or pivot toward self-reliance, BRICS alliances, and dollar-free trade.
As Beijing opens its doors and hostile US trade policy slams them shut, Africa finds itself at the center of a high-stakes struggle for economic independence. Amid this trade war ignited by Trump, will Africa rise and challenge US trade hegemony?