The article “Africa’s Exclusion from the Trump Inauguration Ceremony: An Indication of Ill Will?” discusses the absence of African leaders at Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2025, suggesting it reflects a negative attitude from Trump towards Africa. Despite many African leaders expressing interest, none were invited, continuing a trend from his first term, characterized by limited diplomatic engagement with the continent. Trump’s administration has previously sidelined African leaders due to perceptions of corruption and governance issues.
The piece notes that while significant American businesses rely on African resources, opinions on Trump’s understanding of Africa’s importance are divided. Some experts argue that his lack of African presence at the inauguration does not necessarily indicate a lack of diplomatic interest.
Trump’s address and subsequent executive orders indicate a commitment to an ‘America First’ policy, reversing many initiatives from the Biden administration. Analysts express concern over how Trump’s policies might adversely affect African nations, including Ethiopia, particularly in regard to foreign aid, trade, and immigration.
Concerns are raised about Ethiopia’s weakened ties with Washington and the potential impacts of U.S. policy shifts, particularly in the context of regional politics and relations with neighboring nations.
Lastly, there is speculation about Trump’s possible recognition of Somaliland, which could have significant geopolitical implications while risking further destabilization in Somalia. Overall, the article paints a picture of uncertainty regarding U.S.-Africa relations under Trump’s renewed presidency and highlights potential consequences for individual African countries, especially Ethiopia.
The complete piece is as follows:
Africa’s Exclusion from the Trump Inauguration Ceremony: An Indication of Ill Will?
By Ashenafi Endale
Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration ceremony took place on January 20, coinciding with the US federal holiday dedicated to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
The guest list for the event, which took place indoors this year due to cold weather in Washington, D.C., featured former presidents, Silicon Valley billionaires, social media personalities, and leaders from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. There was not a single African leader invited to attend, although reports indicate that many had shown interest in doing so.
Given that Trump’s first term in office is not remembered for close diplomatic ties with Africa, the snub may not be all that surprising. It could instead be indicative of Trump’s unchanged attitude towards African leaders.
Even Kenya’s William Ruto, who was invited to the White House during the last year of President Joe Biden’s term and accepted the status of ‘non-NATO ally’ bestowed on Kenya, was nowhere to be seen. Some experts predict that Trump will replace Ruto and his newfound status in US-Africa relations with another leader in the Horn as Washington looks to anchor itself in the region.
Insiders say Trump sidelined African leaders due to the prevalence of corruption, bad governance and inefficiency on the continent, among other things. Ruto’s administration is also contending with fierce public protest following reports of grand corruption.
Ruto was the runner-up for the Corrupt Person of the Year award given out by the Organized Crimes and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), with Syria’s ousted Bashir Al-Assad coming out on top.
Still, the businesses run by the Silicon Valley CEOs and billionaires who attended the inauguration are heavily dependent on critical minerals extracted from Africa.
But, referring to Trump’s ‘Prosper Africa’ initiative during his previous term, some experts argue Trump understands the relevance of Africa, and that the absence of African leaders during his presidential inauguration is not indicative of his diplomatic intentions.
For now, these intentions appear to be undoing nearly everything the Biden administration did. Observers see Trump as a populist, a nationalist, and a leader with a penchant for transactional politics and diplomacy.
“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before. My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all of these many betrayals that have taken place and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and, indeed, their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” he stated during his inaugural address.
Trump has already signed a number of executive orders in line with his ‘America First’ policy.
These include orders withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization (WHO), removing laws about regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and diversity and inclusion in the US civil service, designating Ansar Allah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a terrorist group, and ending birthright citizenship and reinstating his ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy.
“Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end—and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into,” he said during the inauguration.
Trump emphasized repositioning America on the global stage. He did not lay out the specifics of his foreign policy, but made contradicting statements, expressing his desire to be a peacemaker while simultaneously stating he would make the US the most powerful nation on earth.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier. America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world. The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation—one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations, and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons,” said Trump.
Bernie Sanders, social democracy advocator who lost to Biden in the 2020 presidential election, harshly criticized Trump’s inaugural speech lacks any mentioning about the working class of America.
A senior analyst who spoke to The Reporter foresees Trump’s policy changes will have impacts on Ethiopia, both directly and indirectly.
“Trump’s foreign policy, especially on the global competition with China over dominating Africa, might indirectly affect Africa and also Ethiopia. Trump withdrew from WHO, and he might do the same to UN agencies and international financial institutions. This will also indirectly affect Africa, since the US is a major financier of international agencies and Africa is among the beneficiaries,” said the analyst, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Ethiopia’s trade and energy transition policies might also be affected by Trump’s policies, according to the analyst. The administration of Abiy Ahmed has ambitions to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
“Trump might prefer fuel,” said the analyst, who also predicts Trump’s policies on refugees and asylum seekers will be felt by Ethiopians.
“If Trump makes immigration laws strict, it might become difficult for Ethiopians to go [to the US] and work,” said the analyst.
This, combined with the government’s recent ratification of the Asset Recovery Proclamation, could lead to a drop in remittances, observes the analyst.
“Many Ethiopians living abroad do not have legal documents. They won’t be able to send money back to Ethiopia. Even those living abroad legally did not send money back home using legal channels. Trump’s policies may affect remittances and FDI in Ethiopia,” said the analyst.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key ally to both Washington and Addis Ababa, could also change its policies in light of Trump’s decisions, according to the analyst.
“This will also indirectly affect Ethiopia. Ethiopia is currently not a strong security ally to the US in the Horn,” said the analyst. “As the Horn’s political dynamisms change, things might change. Because Trump is always transactional; he always takes advantage. Egypt will get leeway from Trump. So the pressure on Ethiopia might continue. Trump is disrupting everything. He is based on ‘common sense’ not knowledge. So he either hates you or likes you. It is politically reckless. In general, on top of the same political recklessness in Ethiopia, Trump’s term will not be good for Ethiopia if it continues like this.”
However, Constantinos Berhutesfa (PhD), a political-economy commentator and former AU anti-graft commissioner, foresees no direct impacts on Ethiopia from Trump’s new administration.
“I have no prediction that Trump’s administration will have an impact on Ethiopia. We are just one small country. For sure, they will not renew AGOA for Ethiopia. That is already affecting us. Trump is also not happy with BRICS,” said Constantinos.
But Trump cannot stop America’s humanitarian aid to Ethiopia because that does not fall under his mandate, says Costantinos.
The US provides an estimated USD 1.2 billion in aid to Ethiopia every year.
Constantinos observes Ethiopia’s diplomatic ties with Washington have already been more or less cut off.
“I heard after his election, Trump phoned Ruto. This shows Ethiopia is no longer an anchor state in the Horn. This is dangerous. One should be careful if America is not on his side. America is destructive to those it does not like. Look at Afghanistan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Syria; America destroyed them,” argues Constantinos. “During his previous term, Trump said Egypt might bomb GERD. Now, Trump might this time start supporting Ethiopian opposition forces, not only siding with Egypt. Ethiopian opposition forces might lobby the Trump administration, and that will have a significant impact on Ethiopia.”
The recognition of Somaliland looks to be a possibility during Trump’s second term, with some analysts arguing it would serve as a precedent for Taiwan’s continued independence from China. Beijing, on the other hand, is adamantly opposed to Somaliland’s sovereignty.
Documents that emerged during Trump’s election campaign indicate plans to recognize Somaliland’s statehood within his first 100 days in office.
The move is made more likely by the Yemeni Houthis’ chokehold on the vital Red Sea international trade highway, with the West increasingly drawn to Somaliland’s strategic location as a base to fight Ansar Allah, which Washington has now designated a terrorist group.
“Recognizing Somaliland might be on the table. America has concluded the best way to fight Yemeni Houthis is through a base in Somaliland. More importantly, the UK Foreign Minister hinted that the UK is more keen to recognize Somaliland. The UK was a former Somaliland colonizer. When the UK was an EU member, the EU vetoed the UK’s decision to recognize Somaliland. The EU vetoed that decision because Italy complained. Italy is also a former colonizer of Somalia, and Italy doesn’t want Somaliland’s recognition,” said Constantinos.
However, he warns that recognizing Somaliland without first realizing a strong and unified Somalia could have disastrous consequences.
“The US might recognize Somaliland in their own time. The reason the world refrained from recognizing Somaliland so far, is because Somalia is in crisis. Recognizing Somaliland in such a condition would mean disintegrating Somalia. This is because once Somaliland is recognized, the other states in Somalia will also start demanding recognition. So Somalia would fracture further. The world is not denying Somaliland recognition, but protecting Somalia from further disintegration,” said Constantinos.