Japan, India Step Up Courtship of Africa Amid US Trade War

The Post On Sunday

As tensions between Africa and the United States deepen under President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies, the continent is finding itself increasingly courted by other global powers eager to fill the vacuum left by Washington.

This week, attention shifts to Japan, where the ninth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) opens in the port city of Yokohama. More than 20 African heads of state and government, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Angola’s João Lourenço, are in attendance. The summit marks another step in Africa’s expanding global diplomacy, as leaders seek to diversify partnerships and reposition their economies in a rapidly shifting international order.

For Japan, the summit is also significant. After decades of economic stagnation and deflation, the world’s second-largest Asian economy is pressing its private sector to shed its reputation for caution and look outward. Africa, with its vast population, youthful demographic, and untapped markets, presents a rare opportunity. Yet Japanese foreign direct investment in Africa remains limited compared to China and Europe, leaving huge room for expansion in trade, infrastructure, and technology.

South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese President Xi Jinping

Japan is not alone in its overtures. Later this month, New Delhi will host the India-Africa Business Conference, a gathering designed to foster stronger ties in sectors ranging from oil and gas to digital technology and logistics. India, with its historical links to East and Southern Africa, sees the continent as a natural partner in both economic and geopolitical terms.

Meanwhile, China and Russia have already cemented their presence through high-profile summits and long-term investments, while countries such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have launched aggressive diplomatic and economic campaigns to entrench themselves on the continent. The message is clear: as Washington pulls away, others are ready to step in.

For African nations, the challenge is both urgent and complex. Trump’s trade war has already stripped many countries of their preferential access to US markets, undermining fragile export-driven industries. His administration’s tariff regime seeks to reorder global trade, but in doing so, it has left African economies scrambling to reconfigure their external relations.

Analysts argue that this disruption could, paradoxically, serve as a turning point. For decades, Africa has been viewed primarily as a source of raw materials, minerals, oil, and agricultural produce, and as a continent heavily dependent on aid. The new wave of partnerships presents an opportunity to change that narrative. Leaders now face the task of negotiating agreements that focus not just on resource extraction, but also on industrialization, value addition, and sustainable development.

In that sense, Trump’s onslaught may inadvertently give Africa the push it needs to reset its global position. By forging new friendships in the East and beyond, the continent could secure stronger, more reliable partnerships that recognize its role not only as a supplier of commodities, but as a growing market and an emerging political force in the 21st century.