Trending 
A U.S. official, Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, stated that the security situation in West Africa is a “very high concern” for Washington.
However, he emphasised that the administration’s primary focus in the region is economic security and trade rather than traditional development assistance.
Helberg clarified that for American private investment to be deployed, the region must offer reliable security, directly linking economic interest to stability.
This comes as high-ranking US officials visit the military-ruled Sahel nations—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—to promote private sector engagement.
The context for these visits is a dramatic escalation in violence; jihadist attacks in the Sahel have surged from 1,900 in 2019 to over 5,500 in 2024.
The US previously suspended a significant portion of its development aid to these three countries following the successive military coups (2020-2023). Helberg confirmed that diplomatic negotiations with the military juntas are ongoing.
