While U.S. corporate and political elites meet virtually this week with African stakeholders to discuss revitalizing trade between the two regions, it’s worth noting just how much work there is to be done, especially in relation to Africa’s other major trading partners in China and Europe.
U.S. trade with the continent has steadily declined since the 2008 financial crisis, a period that also coincided with the shale boom that led to a dramatic plunge in energy imports from places like Africa, Nigeria in particular.