Can Africa Take Ownership of the AU–US Infrastructure Deal?

The African Union and the United States are moving to translate their strategic partnership into concrete infrastructure gains through the AU Commission–US Strategic Investment Working Group (SIWG). An agreement between AUC Chairperson Mahmood Ali Youssouf and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau commits the SIWG to align US capital and financing tools with AU-backed infrastructure, particularly projects under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).

Selecting PIDA projects reinforces Africa’s ownership of the SIWG because these projects follow an integrated corridor logic, in which transport, energy, ICT and water infrastructure are designed simultaneously. The Lobito Corridor, linking Angola, the DRC and Zambia, is already emerging as a flagship example, with US Development Finance Corporation backing and concession agreements signed in late August 2026.

At the 4th US–Africa Futures Summit in Addis Ababa in late August, AU representatives argued that the working group should be judged by what people can see and feel: jobs created, businesses supported, infrastructure delivered, trade expanded and opportunities opened for young people. They called for a shift from assistance to investment, from isolated projects to strategic cooperation, and from consultation to co-creation.

For Africa to truly own the deal, several conditions must be met. AU member states need to commit predictable resources and political backing, while continental and regional institutions must demonstrate the capacity to manage complex, cross-border projects. Private African capital, from pension funds to sovereign wealth funds, must be mobilised alongside US finance to ensure that projects are not seen as externally driven.

Equally important is community consent. Pilot projects must be rooted in the agreement of the countries and communities they cross, with transparent pipelines, public measures of local procurement, value addition and regional trade. Without these, the SIWG risks joining the long list of mechanisms that sounded promising at launch but never became visible in people’s lives.

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