Africa Is Open for Business – U.S. Chamber at UNGA

Madeline Murphy
Associate Manager for North, West, and Central Africa, Africa Business Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Sustainability Lead, Africa Business Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Published

September 29, 2026

When Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama stepped up to ring the Nasdaq Closing Bell at Times Square's MarketSite on September 23, he didn't just mark the end of a trading day. In his speech, four words encapsulated the spirit of the U.S. Africa Business Center’s whirlwind week of commercial diplomacy: "This is for Africa."

The moment captured something larger than any single ceremony. Over a week on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), African heads of state and senior government leaders made a powerful case to the world. The message wasn't just that Africa is open for business: it's that Africa is driving business, and the opportunity for American companies has never been more tangible.

Namibia: A Strategic Gateway to Southern Africa

The week opened with a bit of history, as the U.S.-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) convened a roundtable with H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the President of Namibia and the first woman ever to hold that office. The roundtable brought together senior business and government leaders, including U.S. Chamber Board Chair Ross Perot Jr., for a dialogue on the future of U.S.-Namibia commercial relations.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah highlighted Namibia's strategic position as a logistics and trade gateway to Southern Africa, outlining key opportunities across energy, critical minerals, green hydrogen, mining, infrastructure, agriculture, and youth development. The conversation underscored the growing strategic importance of U.S.-Namibia ties at a moment of significant economic transformation for the country.

A formal roundtable meeting between U.S. and Namibian officials is held in an ornate room, with participants seated at a long table beneath a large screen displaying event details and sponsor logos. — H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the President of Namibia (center left), Ross Perot Jr., Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (center right), Kendra Gaither, President, U.S.-Africa Business Center.

Ghana: From the Boardroom to the Closing Bell

Few settings command attention quite like the Nasdaq Closing Bell, and on Wednesday, September 23, that platform belonged to Ghana, when President Mahama stepped forward to present Ghana's economic vision to a global audience, spotlighting opportunities across manufacturing, agro-processing, energy, mining, technology, and health.

The energy carried into the late afternoon. A U.S.-Ghana Presidential Roundtable brought together over 75 executives, investors, Chamber representatives, and senior Ghanaian government officials for an exchange on Ghana's economic priorities and the private sector's role in realizing them. Participants explored pathways to deepen trade, unlock new investment, and strengthen the commercial ties that already make the U.S.-Ghana relationship one of the most promising on the continent.

A group of individuals engage in a lively discussion at a conference table, with nameplates and microphones indicating a formal event, while the flag of Ghana stands prominently behind them. — From Left: Kendra Gaither, President, U.S.-Africa Business Center, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare, Minister of Trade, Agribusiness & Industry, Republic of Ghana.

Guinea: Launching the Investment Guide

The message from Guinea's top government ministers was unambiguous: the country is extending an open invitation to American business.

Our September 24 Executive Roundtable with H.E. Ismaël Nabé, Minister of Planning International Cooperation, and Development, on behalf of President Doumbouya, featuring H.E. Khaité Sall, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, H.E. Faya François Bourouno, Minister of Modernization of Administration and Public Service, and Presidential Advisors on ICT and the Simandou Project, centered on the official launch of the Guinea Investment Guide. The guide is part of a flagship publication series from the U.S.-Africa Business Center designed to connect American companies with investment opportunities across Guinea's most prominent sectors, including mining, infrastructure, health, and agriculture.

USAfBC President Kendra Gaither personally handed the first copy of the Guinea Investment Guide to Minister Nabé, surrounded by business and government leaders, underscoring the U.S private sector’s commitment to promoting the U.S. Guinea commercial partnership.

Minister Nabé’s message to American investors was clear: Guinea is investment ready.

A formal meeting is taking place at a U.S.-Guinea Presidential Roundtable, with officials seated at a long table in front of a large screen displaying the event title and flags of the United States and Guinea. — USAfBC leaders join H.E. Ismaël Nabé, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, H.E. Faya François Bourouno, Minister of Modernization of Administration and Public Service at an executive roundtable.

"I invite investors, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers throughout the world to consider Guinea as a land of opportunities: open, ambitious, and forward-looking," said Minister Nabé.

A person in a suit and glasses reads a magazine at a conference table with a microphone and nameplate. — Robert Friedland, Founder of Ivanhoe Atlantic, peruses the Guinea Investment Guide, launched at the U.S.-Guinea Presidential Roundtable on September 24.

DRC: Critical Minerals and Concrete Commitments

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sits at the center of the global critical minerals conversation. The roundtable with H.E. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, convened business leaders, investors, and government stakeholders for a substantive discussion on the DRC's economic priorities and built on a dialogue initiated earlier this year with President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi at the U.S. Chamber. The conversation focused on critical minerals, energy, infrastructure, health, and value-added manufacturing, and economic reforms to improve the rule of law.

Three individuals are seated at a table during a formal event, with an American flag visible in the background and blue water bottles on the table. — From left: H.E. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister, DRC, Kendra Gaither, USAfBC President, Dr. Guevera Yao, USAfBC Vice President.

The dialogue was followed by a tangible demonstration of partnership: the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) signed an agreement with Buenassa Resources to support the pre-feasibility study for the development of a proposed copper and cobalt refinery in Lualaba Province. This deal was a concrete signal that the conversations in DRC are translating into action.

Several officials in formal attire sign documents at a long table during a diplomatic event, with an American flag visible in the background. — Seated, from left: Eddy Kioni, CEO, Buenassa Resources, Tom Hardy, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, USTDA, Amb. J. Peter Pham, Executive Chairman, Ivanhoe Atlantic.

Strategic Investment in Nigeria

Nigeria is among the continent's biggest economies, and the U.S.-Nigeria Strategic Investment Dialogue highlighted just that, with Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment Jumoke Oduwole joining the U.S. Chamber, American Business Council Nigeria, and more than 70 business and government leaders from the U.S. and Nigeria. Participants from both countries spoke to the opportunities they see for investment and outlined what they are seeking from partners to scale these opportunities. Three Memoranda of Understanding were signed with Nigerian Mining Company Promethean Resources, and counterparts, including Vermeer and Renewvia Energy, signifying a shift toward partnership in action in the U.S.-Nigeria commercial relationship.

a group of people holding papers — Seated from left: Hon. Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment of Nigeria, DAS Richard Michaels, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Catalyzing Strategic Investment in Regional Projects

When the United States and the African Union established a Strategic Infrastructure and Investment working Group in January 2026, the U.S.-Africa Business Center and the Corporate Council on Africa raised our hands to support business engagement in shaping the priority efforts of this working group. During UNGA, our organizations made good on this promise by co-convening a private sector dialogue featuring Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia, interagency leaders across the U.S. government, the CEO of The African Union Development Agency, African Union Commissioners and representatives from African governments. The Roundtable facilitated a dialogue with corporate executives on regional projects identified by African continental leaders for strategic investment, with executives from financial services, infrastructure, energy, mining, digital infrastructure, technology, transportation and logistics, where U.S. investment can play a role in project implementation.

Health Sovereignty: Turning Demand into Investment

USAfBC sponsored AUDA-NEPAD’s High-Level Strategy Circle, “From Cost to Capital | Financing Africa’s Health Sovereignty,” joining an influential group of global health and African institutional leaders, including Dr. Jean Kaseya, Dr. Delese Mimi Darko, and Nardos Bekele-Thomas. The discussion focused on how Africa’s shift toward greater country ownership in health can move from ambition to investment by addressing the policy, procurement, and trade barriers that still slow long-term private sector engagement. Building on this discussion and other engagements throughout the week, USAfBC will work to establish a regular cadence of engagement with Africa CDC, the African Medicines Agency, and AUDA-NEPAD to support practical collaboration on Africa’s health sovereignty agenda.

A Week Reflecting a Continent on the Move

From the Nasdaq MarketSite to the boardrooms of Manhattan, the week's engagements reflected something that American business leaders are increasingly taking note of: African leaders are not waiting. They are showing up, making their pitch, and signing deals.

That momentum doesn't stop here. The USAfBC will carry this energy into November, when the U.S. Chamber will host the B20 Summit on American soil for the first time. It's a fitting next chapter: last year's B20 was hosted in South Africa, and some of the commitments forged there helped lay the groundwork for the dialogues that defined the last week in New York. Indeed, these conversations are all part of the same story: one that Africa is writing on its own terms, and one that American business can no longer afford to read from the sidelines.