KOR
▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
African nations are reportedly going all out with lobbying efforts to soften U.S. President Donald Trump's hostility.
According to the Financial Times on the 5th local time, these countries are pouring massive sums into large Republican-linked lobbying firms to cope with the Trump administration's unpredictable policies.
This is seen as the outsourcing of diplomacy, attempting to win President Trump's favor and open unofficial direct channels when normal diplomacy fails.
President Trump has shown a deeply averse view of African nations since his first term, referring to them as "shithole countries."
A prime example of a country turning to lobbying is Nigeria in West Africa.
Until a few months ago, President Trump blasted Nigeria as a shameful country that persecutes Christians.
Last Christmas, the United States also carried out unilateral airstrikes against Islamic extremist groups within Nigeria, sparking a controversy over sovereignty infringement.
Feeling the gravity of the 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 a confidant of President Trump, to begin cleaning up Nigeria's image.
Nigeria's First Lady Oluremi Tinubu was made to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in the United States last February to meet with President Trump's spiritual advisors and Christian evangelical leaders.
The effects of the lobbying were reportedly immediate.
In his speech at the prayer breakfast, President Trump publicly praised Nigeria's First Lady as a highly respected figure and emphasized counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries.
Political circles inside and outside the U.S. evaluated this as a $9 million public praise.
The Financial Times noted that following the lobbying, past U.S. airstrikes were packaged as joint operations, and the United States decided on weapon exports such as 12 attack helicopters and the dispatch of 200 military advisors to Nigeria.
Nigeria is not the only African country attempting to use lobbying to shift Trump administration policies to its advantage.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo improved its relations with the U.S. by contracting a lobbying firm led by Brian Ballard, a fundraiser for President Trump's presidential campaign.
As a result of the lobbying, the Trump administration began working to sanction Rwanda, which the DRC considers hostile, and secure critical mineral development rights within the DRC.
Tanzania also contracted the lobbying firm of David Urban, a key 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 reflect a realistic calculation to bypass regular diplomatic channels like the State Department or Congress and directly exercise influence over the individual president.
This strategy follows due to President Trump's governance style, which blurs the lines between public and private, values personal ties over traditional procedures, and treats policies as transactional bargaining chips.
Philip van Niekerk, managing director of political risk consulting firm Calabar Africa, emphasized that the lobbying bypassed regular channels such as Congress, evaluating that it was worth the money.
However, some critics within Africa are voicing concerns and criticisms regarding the reality facing these countries.
An official from Nigeria's opposition African Democratic Congress stated that it is a ploy to wash away an tarnished image abroad rather than resolving severe domestic security and economic crises.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
Video News