U.S. Ambassador to Guinea Troy Fitrell says he is “all in” on Africa’s future, expressing optimism regarding U.S. involvement throughout the continent.

“For all the challenges we have in Africa, these are absolutely exciting times,” Fitrell testified at a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing – on the issue of the state of U.S. involvement with Africa and China’s increasing influence on African countries.

“I could not agree with you more that Africa is the continent of the 21st Century,” committee member Delaware Democrat Sen. Coons told Fitrell. 

To be sure, Africa’s growing economies provide numerous worthwhile opportunities for the United States. 

The Sub-Saharan African region’s economies have been growing at a rate of 6% annually, expecting to add $800 billion in GDP by 2030, Fitrell testified.

In his testimony, Fitrell also noted a growing import demand, increasing from $49 billion to $435 billion over the past 24 years. Additionally, the region’s digital sector has quadrupled in value since 2016 and is expected to continue growing. 

While opportunities for the U.S. increase, competitors have also noticed the rich opportunities available in Africa. Most notably China. 

Last year, China, which after the U.S. has the world's second-largest economy, exported over seven times what the United States was able to export – $137 billion to sub-Suharan Africa. The U.S. only exported $19 billion to this region in 2024. 

“China represents the most significant, long-term strategic threat to the United States,” said Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, also a committee member, “I believe that fundamentally, China is a global threat that must be confronted globally, region by region. Among those regions, pressingly, is Africa.”

China is using its powers to further its authoritarian agenda and undermine the sovereignty of African countries and the United States’ strategic interest, he also said.

To counter China, Cruz said, U.S. policy should center on investment-led commercial diplomacy and work to create real alternatives to China by partnering with our allies in Africa.  

To support his optimism, Fitrell later cited the success of the Lobito Corridor Project, saying that due to its great success, he hopes to replicate it in other areas. 

The project is the largest effort made by the United States to counter China’s presence in Africa, according to research from the Atlantic Council.

The project involves the construction of 350 miles of new rail lines throughout Zambia connecting its northwest region to the southern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, granting Zambia access to the Atlantic Ocean. 

Upon its completion, the project will better facilitate trade flows and allow for a number of new opportunities in the global market. 

Fitrell holds an extensive background in foreign affairs, having served overseas at U.S. embassies in Denmark, Ghana, Guatemala, Portugal and Zambia. 

He noted that he is working to make sure that the United States' presence in Africa is advancing the Trump Administration’s goals. 

Cruz posed the question to Fitrell, “Of all those threats you described, what keeps you up at night? What worries you the most?” 

In response, Fitrell focused on the fact that there are many positive stories about Africa and said he truly believes in the future of the nation.