Africa: Senior Bureau Official Fitrell Highlights U.S. Commitment to Stronger Commercial Ties with Africa During Visit to Côte d’Ivoire
Abidjan — During a visit to Abidjan from May 12–14, Senior Bureau Official Troy Fitrell is reinforcing the United States’ strong and growing commercial ties with the African continent through a series of high-level engagements with business leaders, government officials, and international organizations.
On May 12–13, Senior Bureau Official Fitrell is participating as a distinguished guest at the Africa CEO Forum, where he joined a strategic roundtable on the future of development finance and delivered a special address on the U.S. government’s approach to Africa.
READ: Remarks for Launch of Bureau of African Affairs Commercial Diplomacy Strategy
On May 14, Senior Bureau Official Fitrell and Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire Jessica Davis Ba, will take part in the AmCham Business Summit, hosted at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center and its affiliate AmCham network in West Africa. The summit, themed “Strengthening U.S. Business Partnerships with Africa,” convenes business executives, international organizations, and senior government officials from across the region for panel discussions, business-to-government and business-to-business engagements, and cultural events.
As the summit’s keynote speaker, Senior Bureau Official Fitrell unveiled the State Department’s new Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, underscoring the United States’ commitment to expanding economic opportunity and shared prosperity. The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Minister of Trade and Industry Souleymane Diarrassouba formally launched the Commercial Dialogue of the U.S.-Côte d’Ivoire Commercial and Investment Partnership, marking a significant step forward in bilateral commercial cooperation. The Commercial Dialogue aims to connect U.S. companies with opportunities in Cote d’Ivoire and provide recommendations to further improve the business environment.
In addition, Senior Bureau Official Fitrell presided over the signing of several new U.S. business deals, further demonstrating the increasing engagement of American companies across key sectors in West Africa. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce – U.S. Africa Business Center, led by President Kendra Gaither, organized a robust delegation of U.S. companies to participate in both the Africa CEO Forum and the AmCham Business Summit, signaling growing interest from the American private sector in the region’s dynamic markets.
This visit and the accompanying events underscore the United States’ strategic focus on fostering long-term, mutually beneficial commercial relationships across Africa.
Highlighted U.S. Business Deals at the AmCham Business Summit:
The following commercial agreements or memorandum of understandings (MOUs) were announced or signed during the AmCham Business Summit, reflecting deepening U.S. private sector engagement in West Africa with an estimated total value of over $550 million.
On May 14, 2025:
VAALCO Energy, Inc. announced that it has entered into an Memorandum of Understanding with PETROCI, to evaluate and potentially acquire interests through farm out opportunities in several blocks in Côte d’Ivoire. Vaalco will have three months to exclusively examine and negotiate farm out opportunities on the four offshore blocks in Côte d’Ivoire.
Sun Africa and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire have formalized a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to transform the Ivorian power sector. This strategic partnership will harness American ingenuity and innovation to significantly enhance and modernize Côte d’Ivoire’s energy infrastructure. The collaboration marks a pivotal step toward driving economic progress and strengthening energy security in the region.
Yaatra Ventures signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR) for engagement on a joint venture for the establishment of the 200,000bpd national refinery from domestic oil production, to create employment, meet domestic and regional demand for fuels in West Africa which drives economic prosperity.
Aerostar Dynamics, Inc. and the Agence de Developpement Economique de la Region du Poro (ADER-PORO) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding valued at $45 million to obtain the highest quality, American made civilian drones and training. ADER-PORO’s AeroStar project will bring the best agriculture, forestry, mining, land management, and surveying drones available to Ivorians, beginning in June 2025. ADER-PORO and AeroStar will also collaborate in developing drone manufacturing and assembly in Cote d’Ivoire, creating a drone hub of technology production and training in Africa.
NTELX and Scanning Systems signed an MOU to establish the initial framework for partnership and collaboration where NTELX will provide its technology and analytic capabilities at Scanning Systems’ Joint Border Post locations. This collaboration aims to enhance freight transport visibility to enhance security, streamline operations, and improve efficiency in cross-border trade and transport.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center reinvigorated its MOU with Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen commercial relationship between the two countries. The partners reaffirmed their commitment to work together in building business linkages between the private sectors of both countries and contribute to the U.S.-Cote d’Ivoire commercial dialogue.
Since January 20, 2025:
Citi successfully supported the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in a landmark dual-currency bond transaction, raising US$1.75 billion through a 10-year bond and CFAF 220 billion (approximately US$360 million) through the world’s first international bond denominated in West African CFA francs. This historic deal drew over US$5.1 billion in demand from global investors and was complemented by a successful debt buyback of its 2028 and 2032 bonds. Citi acted as Joint Bookrunner, Paying Agent, and Dealer Manager, demonstrating its deep and trusted partnership with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and its continued leadership in supporting innovative financing solutions across emerging markets.
DiSabatino Construction, an American company based in the State of Delaware, signed an MOU with Cote d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Construction on April 29, 2025. This partnership aims to support Cote d’Ivoire’s national objective of delivering 150,000 homes- tackling Côte d’Ivoire’s housing needs while supporting American jobs and expertise. To ensure strong and effective local integration, they will partner with Ivoirian company CONTRACTOR-CI.
The American consortium of Catalyst Business Partners, Everbridge Inc, and Fadox Group signed an MOU with Cote d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Digital Transition on April 17, 2025 for a cell-broadcast technology project which enables instant, large-scale dissemination of alerts directly to mobile phones within a defined geographic area, even when networks are congested. It is ideally suited for natural disasters, major incidents, health emergencies, and security alerts. This solution provides the government of Cote d’Ivoire a mechanism to ensure the continuity of public services and respond effectively in times of crisis.
Cybastion and Angola Telecom signed a partnership agreement in February 2025 to explore boosting Angola’s access to internet connectivity. The partnership agreement would strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure by expanding scalable internet connectivity, including a subsea cable, and advanced telecommunications.
Cybastion launched Digital Fast Track program with the Government of Gabon’s National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies (ANINF) in January on three new digital transformation projects: a data center, a national cybersecurity agency (SOC and CSIRT), and an e-government solution integrating digital ID and payments. These initiatives aim to modernize infrastructure, strengthen cyber resilience, and expand digital access. Cybastion accelerated project implementation—completing proofs of concept for the digital ID and payment systems and breaking ground on the data center—to outpace a competing Chinese bid.
Cybastion signed an agreement to accelerate digital connectivity and enhance cybersecurity with the Government of Guinea (Conakry) in March 2025 to assist in administering the country’s Safe Cities project. The deal marks the beginning of a new era for digital progress and security in Guinea and offer new economic opportunities.
Cybastion and the Government of Benin formalized a partnership agreement in March 2025 to advance digital transformation and expand cybersecurity and security initiatives in the West African nation. This partnership will build a Security Operations Center (SOC), an advanced cybersecurity solution that protects and builds resilience against cyber threats, and a new command center for all cyber operations, including a forensics lab. It will also supply body cameras and accessories to support the Beninese Republican Police and Customs.
Cybastion has expanded a deal with the Government of Burkina Faso in May 2025 for the second phase of the Program for Cybersecurity and Intelligence in Burkina Faso (PACYR-BF), which is committed to protecting national information systems and combating cybercrime. This deal will build a modular data center to store and manage digital data and applications; launch “Citizen Home” (Maisons du Citoyen, MDC), an initiative to digitize one-stop shops of e-government services at post offices across the country; and a digital signature initiative to digitize public administration and strengthen digital security through the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
Cybastion and the West African Development Bank (BOAD) signed a partnership agreement in May 2025 to formalize a strategic public-private collaboration aimed at mobilizing resources, de-risking investments, and scaling innovative digital solutions to support digital transformation across the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). The agreement will help streamline the financing process, ensuring that critical digital transformation projects in West Africa receive the necessary financing and support to scale.
George Mason University, Cybastion, and the Ministry of Digital Economy of Côte d’Ivoire sign a Memorandum of Understanding to advance student and professional training in AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Equipping youth and women with world-class digital and cybersecurity skills will drive innovation, bolster resilience against cyber threats, and promote sustainable growth.
Credence ID has closed a contract valued at $1.15 million to provide support services to maintain and enhance the national ID verification system. The system is used for verification of citizen ID (chip on card) used for KYC for banking, SIMM card registration, social benefits distribution, etc.
Visium Analytics, LLC has a contract with Cybastion Institute of Technology valued at $20 million to support the development of the National Data Centers in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and the Republic of Benin. The engagement encompasses full lifecycle services including architectural design, construction oversight, and deployment of critical infrastructure. Visium will deliver the design for advanced solutions for power distribution, rack layouts, secure network topologies, and deliver a comprehensive cybersecurity stack. The project emphasizes energy efficiency, system scalability, and high standards of physical and cyber protection. Additionally, Visium will provide ongoing training and operational support to local personnel, ensuring sustainable data center management.