On July 23, 2026, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs issued the Annual Program Statement for the US-Africa Strategic Investment Program. The Program is a new foreign-assistance funding opportunity focused on strengthening critical minerals supply chains and advancing commercial diplomacy in Africa and reflects the State Department’s broader shift toward using foreign assistance as a tool of economic statecraft.

Overview and Application Breakdown

The US-Africa Strategic Investment Program identifies up to $500 million in total available funding, pending funding availability, and estimates 10 awards, depending on award amounts. Awards may take the form of either grants or cooperative agreements, starting at $5 million and capped at $50 million, with the estimated performance period of 12 to 36 months. Eligible applicants include US and US-aligned for-profit and nonprofit organizations and public international organizations.

Projects must provide clear measurable economic benefits to one or more sub-Saharan African countries and address at least one of two strategic focus areas: Critical Minerals Investments or Commercial Diplomacy Acceleration. Preference will be given to applicants that demonstrate clear pathways for US business participation and contributions to US supply-chain security.

Under Critical Minerals Investment, eligible concepts may address geological mapping and data, local value-addition capabilities, regulatory and institutional reform, workforce development, supply-chain development and transaction advisory services or feasibility studies for commercially viable projects.

Under Critical Diplomacy Acceleration, eligible projects may strengthen regulatory frameworks, workforce capacity, enabling infrastructure and market access. Relevant areas include telecommunications, energy, transportation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, LNG and LPG access, customs modernization and the elimination of non-tariff barriers affecting US exports. Construction activities themselves are not eligible. The Program identifies specific key performance indicators for the two strategic focus areas, listed below:

Critical Minerals Investment Indicators:

  • Number of African government officials and technical personnel trained in critical minerals governance, regulatory management and environmental safeguards 
  • Value of critical minerals investments, transactions and offtake agreements advanced toward financial close, including US and US-aligned private sector investment
  • Volume of critical minerals transiting on the Lobito Corridor
  • Number of companies, including US and US-aligned companies, participating in African critical minerals sectors through transparent and competitive processes
  • Increase in African government revenues generated from successful transparent and competitive critical minerals projects 
  • Number of African countries with strengthened regulatory frameworks supporting transparent, competitive minerals procurement
  • Value ($) of non-donor resources mobilized for local development and economic growth priorities

Commercial Diplomacy Acceleration Indicators:

  • Number and value of bankable deals facilitated to financial close including sector distribution and investor participation, including high-quality US and US-aligned company participation
  • Number of African countries adopting technology standards that promote interoperability with high-quality US and US aligned systems
  • Number of people and businesses gaining access to improved infrastructure services (energy, telecommunications, transportation)
  • Number of African government officials and technical personnel trained in regulatory management, trade facilitation and sector governance
  • Reduction in time and cost associated with customs clearance and cross-border trade processes
  • Number of small- and medium-scale enterprises supported

Eligible applicants must submit the SOI by email as a single PDF consisting of a one-page maximum table of critical details, which serves as the cover page; a two-page maximum narrative; and a one-page maximum summary budget. The SOI is the first step in the process, not a full proposal, and submission will not result in an award at this stage. Following merit review, selected applicants will be invited either to participate in consultative program design or to submit a full proposal, which will undergo a second merit review.

The concise SOI format resembles the brevity and precision of private-capital investment pitches. The narrative is the SOI’s central substantive component: it must summarize the project’s goals, objectives, outcomes, beneficiaries, partner roles, geographic scope and duration, and describe the applicant’s relevant work history in the proposed sector and country and its capacity to carry out the activity and manage US Government funds. The cover table should identify at least one Program indicator, where relevant. The narrative must also describe any proposed leverage from outside sources. The APS defines “leverage” as “the mobilization of non-US Government resources such as cash, in-kind contributions, expertise, or technology from public or private partners” to expand the project’s impact. This broad definition gives applicants flexibility to identify qualifying resources beyond cash. Cost sharing is not required and will not be evaluated as part of the merit review, but leverage, burden sharing, and public- or private-sector partnerships account for 20 percent of the SOI’s score.

SOIs will be accepted on a rolling basis across four windows. Window 1 closes August 21, 2026, and later windows close November 30, 2026, March 1, 2027, and May 31, 2027. If an SOI is unsuccessful, the applicant may not submit the same SOI again in a later window. The Department aims to complete its initial review and communicate outcomes within 90 days after the applicable window closes, although timing may vary based on submission volume and operational considerations. SOIs will be evaluated individually against the criteria, rather than competing SOIs, using the following weighted rubric on a 0-4 scale, with 0 being “Unacceptable” and 4 meaning “Very Strong”:

  • Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea – 40%:  The project idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out and achieve the proposed impact. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.   
  • Organizational Capacity and Past Experience – 25%: The organization has expertise in its stated field, demonstrated success with projects of a similar nature and relevant country level expertise.
    • Subrecipients – Proposed subrecipient organization(s) have strong relevant expertise and experience.
  • Leverage, Burden Sharing, and/or Public or Private Sector Partnerships– 20%: The project idea mobilizes non-US Government resources including funding, in-kind contributions, expertise and technology to expand the impact of the project. The project ensures that taxpayer dollars catalyze substantial commercial returns.
  • Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 15%: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. (See table listing critical details above.)

Analysis

The eligibility requirements, evaluation factors and application structure of the US-Africa Strategic Investment Program reflect the Administration’s shift from aid toward investment. The Program also advances the US government’s pursuit of more resilient allied critical minerals supply chains and expanded commercial opportunities in Africa. The Department of State’s Agency Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030 places “private-sector economic cooperation” at the center of the America First foreign-policy agenda and states that developing nations want help fostering self-reliant growth, rather than programs designed to create “reliance on multilateral institutions and global non-profits.”

The Program puts that priority into practice by funding market-based solutions that benefit at least one sub-Saharan African country while de-risking and catalyzing investment by high-quality US and US-aligned companies. It also aligns with the Strategic Plan’s “principles of fair exchange, local control and mutual benefit” and with the APS’s emphasis on transparent and competitive markets, local value creation and workforce development.

In the critical minerals sector, the Program is designed to reduce vulnerabilities associated with concentrated markets, supply disruptions, and dependence on single-buyer markets. It also positions US and US-aligned companies to compete more effectively against state-backed competitors. This approach is consistent with the Strategic Plan’s broader objective of using commercial diplomacy to reduce reliance on Chinese investment offerings and secure vital supplies of critical minerals. Overall, the Program reflects the State Department’s use of targeted foreign assistance as an instrument of economic statecraft to advance US commercial, supply-chain, and foreign-policy interests while promoting private-sector-led growth in sub-Saharan Africa.

Overall, the US-Africa Strategic Investment Program is a significant potential funding opportunity for eligible organizations proposing market-based projects in sub-Saharan Africa involving critical minerals, energy, telecommunications, transportation, emerging technology, trade facilitation and other strategic sectors. More broadly, it illustrates how the State Department intends to use targeted foreign assistance to de-risk and catalyze high-quality US and US-aligned investment in a region important to US supply-chain security and commercial interests.

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The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Maria Corona for her valuable contributions to the development of this post.