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How Trump’s Day 1 rout could affect Africa 

This past Monday, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the US, and it didn’t take long after removing the elect from his title to unleash a horde of executive orders that could impact the African continent.

Ranging from trade to immigration, some of his orders could still be contested by the US Supreme Court. Here’s a rundown.

Foreign assistance: One of Trump’s first issues was an executive 90-day freeze on the disbursement of foreign assistance to conduct what he calls a review of the “programmatic efficiencies” of foreign aid. He has previously mentioned that aid to countries that don’t directly benefit the American people is antithetical to the American spirit, with some members of his cabinet hinting that a tougher stance on China for African countries may qualify them for aid moving forward.

External Revenue Service: While Trump did not impose tariffs on day one, he instructed federal agencies to broadly examine US trade practices with other countries. According to Bright Simons, a Ghanaian entrepreneur, this is good news because it means there’s still a long way to Trump imposing tariffs on African exports, and also, African exports are likely to be exempted since they are mostly primary, unrefined goods that Trump doesn’t care about.

World Health Organization: In his 2nd attempt, Trump will finally steer the US to a WHO exit. He has severally accused the organization of demanding far more money from the US than it does from China. And with the US withdrawing its over $1bn annual funding from the WHO, many of the organization’s activities may have to be shelved, especially considering that African countries are the biggest benefactors of WHO assistance programs.

Energy: Trump’s order will push for greater fossil fuel exploration locally in the US making it a fiercer competitor in the global markets which will drive down the price of oil and gas. For energy-exporting countries in Africa, such as Nigeria and Angola, cheaper American production could challenge their market share, though it could also lower production costs for African economies reliant on fuel imports. -BO.

TRENDING
The moon needs space

Everyone with a billion dollars has been eager to go to space, and that hasn’t been going too smoothly.

• A much-hyped, long-awaited Blue Origin launch was recently delayed multiple times due to weather.

• A SpaceX rocket dramatically exploded last week, showering Turks and Caicos with debris.

So it’s fitting, if unexpected, that the World Monuments Fund has officially recognized the Moon as an at-risk cultural heritage site. Still, the setbacks aren't about to slow the push to expand humanity's presence in the great void. There's too much money to be made to get hung up on tiny details like rockets exploding: Market researchers project the space tourism industry will expand 40x by 2033.

SHOWER THOUGHTS

NEWS
Round the continent

• The Chagos Islands are hanging in the balance as fears grow President Trump may not be quick to sign off on the archipelago’s transfer back to Mauritius.

• Osama Najim, who led Libya’s judicial police system has been arrested in Italy for involvement in war crimes

• The wife of South Africa’s Zulu king, Misuzulu kaZwelithini has failed to obtain a court order blocking her husband from taking a third wife.

• Nigeria’s telecommunication companies have been authorized a 50% increase in tariffs across all services. They had been lobbying for a 100% increase over the past decade.