Newly appointed U.S. Senior Adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, is set to visit Kenya and the broader Great Lakes region this week, accompanied by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Corina Sanders.
The visit, which includes stops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda, aims to advance peace efforts in eastern DRC and promote American private-sector investments in the region.
According to a statement by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Boulos and his delegation will meet with regional heads of state and business leaders to discuss long-term solutions to instability in eastern Congo, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized territory this year.
Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman, is the father of Michael Boulos, who is married to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump. His deep ties to Africa stem from his business experience in Nigeria, where his family operates a billion-dollar company distributing motor vehicles and equipment.
Observers note that Boulos’s appointment aligns with Trump’s transactional foreign policy approach, prioritizing U.S. strategic interests over multilateral partnerships. His interest in Congo’s vast mineral wealth, including cobalt, lithium, and uranium—critical for energy and technology industries—could reshape U.S.-Africa relations.
The Biden administration previously sanctioned top Rwandan and M23 officials over the conflict, and Washington has recently expressed openness to negotiating a minerals-for-security partnership with Kinshasa. However, experts caution that, unlike China, the U.S. lacks state-owned mining companies, meaning a direct American investment model in DRC’s mining sector remains uncertain.
As Boulos embarks on his diplomatic mission, his role in shaping U.S. policy toward Africa will be closely watched, especially given Trump’s broader geopolitical objectives and rivalry with China in the region.
