Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the former African Union Ambassador to the United States, has issued a bold challenge to African heads of state, urging them to prepare for a new geopolitical reality shaped by Donald Trump’s “trade, not aid” policy framework.
Speaking on The Bottom Line on Al Jazeera, Chihombori-Quao described the shift as a potential game changer for Africa, if, and only if, African leaders show up to global negotiations with “knowledge as their weapon.”
“African leaders need to know that President Trump and his team are not playing,” she declared during the interview. “It is a battlefield when you go to the White House. You need to go to that battlefield with your boxing gloves of knowledge, your bazookas of knowledge, and your banger busters of knowledge.”
From Aid Dependency to Equal Partners?
Chihombori-Quao characterized the Trump-era rejection of traditional U.S. aid structures as an unexpected opportunity.
Notably, she claimed that Trump’s dismantling of USAID weakened longstanding U.S. foreign intelligence mechanisms and “agents through which regime changes have been carried out.”
While controversial, her framing positions the decline of foreign aid not as a loss for Africa but as a chance to engage with the U.S. on equal economic footing, if leaders rise to the occasion.
“When President Trump is saying, ‘Let’s come to the table and negotiate as equals,’ we need to celebrate that,” she said. “When we lose on that battlefield, the yoke is on us.”
A Strategic Pivot or Political Rhetoric?
The ambassador’s remarks come at a time when many African nations are reassessing their roles on the world stage, particularly amid shifting alliances and trade deals with global powers like China, Russia, and the U.S.
By encouraging leaders to embrace Trump’s policy shift as a “new era,” Chihombori-Quao underscores the urgency for strategic literacy and united continental vision.
“We get one chance. 1.4 billion people are counting on their leaders not to show up unprepared,” she warned.
Her appeal echoes a broader call among African intellectuals and policy advocates who argue that Africa must move beyond the optics of diplomacy and enter global negotiations with a technocratic edge, unified agendas, and deep knowledge of international trade law, economics, and security dynamics.
The Diplomatic Backdrop
Chihombori-Quao’s views have long challenged the status quo. Known for her outspoken criticism of neocolonialism and her push for Pan-African economic sovereignty, she served as AU ambassador from 2017 until her abrupt dismissal in 2019, a move that sparked widespread controversy and petitions calling for her reinstatement.
Her appearance on Al Jazeera adds fresh momentum to her platform, as she continues to champion a re-imagined Africa, ready to engage on its own terms with world powers.
