▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
African nations are reportedly going all-out with lobbying efforts to mitigate the hostility of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 5th (local time), these countries are pouring massive sums of money into major Republican-linked lobbying firms to cope with the Trump administration's unpredictable policies.
This is viewed as an outsourcing of diplomacy, an attempt to win Trump's favor and forge unofficial direct channels when normal diplomacy is not working.
President Trump has long exposed a deeply antagonistic view of African nations, calling them "shithole countries" since his first term.
A prime example of a country taking up lobbying is Nigeria in West Africa.
Until a few months ago, President Trump blasted Nigeria as a "shameful country" that oppresses Christians.
Last Christmas, the United States also carried out independent airstrikes against Islamic extremist groups within Nigeria, raising controversy over sovereignty infringement.
Sensing a crisis, Nigeria signed a contract worth up to $9 million (approx. 12.8 billion won) annually with DCI Group, a major lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C.
DCI Group deployed consultants including Roger Stone, who is classified as an ally of President Trump, and began laundering Nigeria's image.
Nigerian First Lady Oluremi Tinubu was made to attend the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast last February to meet with President Trump's spiritual advisors and Christian evangelical leaders.
The effect of the lobbying was immediate.
In his speech at the prayer breakfast, President Trump publicly praised the Nigerian First Lady, calling her a "very respected figure," and emphasized counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries.
Inside and outside Washington political circles, this was evaluated as "a $9 million public praise."
The FT noted that following the lobbying, U.S. airstrikes were packaged as a "joint bilateral operation," and the United States decided to export weapons, including 12 attack helicopters, and dispatch 200 military advisors to Nigeria.
Nigeria is not the only African country trying to use lobbying to shift the Trump administration's policies in its favor.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) improved its relations with the U.S. by contracting with a lobbying firm led by Brian Ballard, a fundraiser for President Trump's presidential campaign.
As a result of the lobbying, the Trump administration initiated moves to sanction Rwanda—which the DRC considers hostile—and secure critical mineral development rights within the DRC.
Tanzania also contracted with the lobbying firm of David Urban, a core figure in President Trump's presidential campaign, after facing international criticism for violently suppressing protesters during last year's presidential election.
Experts point out that these trends are a pragmatic calculation to bypass regular diplomatic channels, such as the State Department or Congress, and exert direct influence on the president personally.
This strategy follows due to President Trump's governance style, which blurs the lines between public and private business, places personal connections above traditional procedures, and treats policy as a transactional tool.
Phillip van Niekerk, managing director of political risk consulting firm Calabar Africa, emphasized that the lobbying bypassed regular channels such as Congress, evaluating that it "got its money's worth."
However, some in Africa are pouring out concerns and criticisms looking at the reality facing their countries.
An official from Nigeria's opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) said, "It is a trick to launder an image tarnished overseas without solving the severe security and economic crises at home."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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