The dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development marks a seismic realignment in America’s approach to global development — shifting emphasis from traditional aid models to a greater focus on commercial partnerships grounded in mutual economic interest.

Developing nations have long called for closer U.S. trade ties and greater investment in infrastructure. Last month, President Trump made the pivot explicit during a meeting with five West African presidents: “We’re shifting from aid to trade.”

The need for stronger economic engagement is urgent. China now accounts for four times as much trade with Africa as the U.S. While China has been building industrial zones, a large amount of America’s past approach has been relying on inflexible five-year plans and virtue-signaling grants.

I experienced this contrast firsthand. In 2016, I founded Lori Systems, a logistics tech company in Africa. We were once offered a grant from a Western development finance institution, on the condition that half of our truck drivers be women. This condition........

© The Hill