ANGOLA'S PRESIDENT JOAO LOURENCO CALLS ON AFRICA TO TURN THE PAGE ON AID DEPENDENCY AT THE US-AFRICA BUSINESS SUMMIT

Africa not as a charity case, but a continent brimming with opportunity.

Africa Angola African-us relation Investment Business Private sector partnership.
US-African Business Summit 2025
US-African Business Summit 2025


A turning point in Africa–US relations emerged Monday as Angolan President João Lourenço called for a fundamental shift from foreign aid to private investment, urging American businesses to see Africa not as a charity case, but as a continent brimming with opportunity.

Speaking at the 17th United States–Africa Business Summit in Luanda, Lourenço declared that the era of dependency should give way to ambition, innovation, and mutually beneficial enterprise.

“It is time to see Africa as a credible partner, rich in potential, in need of financial capital and know-how, and eager to join forces for mutual benefit,” he said, addressing over 2,000 high-level delegates gathered in the Angolan capital.

Framing Africa as a credible global partner rather than a passive beneficiary of aid, Lourenço highlighted the continent’s abundant human and natural resources, growing consumer base, and advances in regional market integration. He urged American companies to move beyond philanthropic gestures and build long-term, transformative partnerships across sectors.

“Renewable energy, agribusiness, technology, infrastructure, these are the fields where real change and shared prosperity can be achieved,” he said, pointing to Angola’s economic recovery, marked by a 3.5% growth in the first quarter of 2025, as part of a broader continental rebound.

The summit, hosted in Angola for the first time and co-organised by the Corporate Council on Africa and the Angolan government, runs until Thursday under the theme “US-Africa Business: Partnering for Sustainable Success.” It includes deal rooms, plenary sessions, and networking opportunities aimed at catalysing business collaboration between African nations and the US private sector.

A recurring focus throughout the summit is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which Lourenço described as a strategic platform for unlocking cross-border investment and accelerating innovation.

With senior US officials, African Union representatives, diplomats, policymakers, and investors in attendance, the summit underscores a growing consensus: Africa’s future is not about aid, it’s about access, ambition, and shared value.

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