BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — African investors see opportunity in the chaos of President Trump’s return to the White House, despite the pain caused by his foreign aid cuts and whiplash tariff decisions.

That was the message from Vice Adm. Issah Adam Yakubu, the former chief of staff of Ghana’s navy, who spoke at the Milken Institute Conference in Los Angeles this week.

“I have coined a term: Acquired Aid Addiction Syndrome,” Yakubu told a packed room for the panel titled “Securing Africa’s Future.” He said foreign charity was not the answer to Africa’s challenges.

“That never will help us. What we need is trade — fair trade. Aid does not make us resilient, it kills our resilience. … It’s like a virus eating you up.”

While the continent is reeling from the termination of billions of dollars in U.S. assistance for health, education, social and life-sustaining programs, investors pitching the crowd at Milken tried to shift the narrative — talking about new partnerships and opportunities for growth.

Yakubu wants to educate the next generation of Africans about professional opportunities at sea, and as a first-time attendee to the conference, is looking to make connections to help grow his nonprofit think tank, the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute.

The Milken confab draws a tony crowd. Some access fees start at $25,000, in exchange for an opportunity to mingle among a group of high-powered CEOs, government officials, philanthropists, scientists, investors, nonprofit leaders — and members of the media.

“The most important is networking to be able to meet people, particularly those who can support our initiatives,” Yakubu told The Hill in a short interview.

“What I want to get from the conference is to have a global view of what to expect in the next 2-3 years so that we can prepare ourselves for that.”

The uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s economic agenda was a center point of conversations at the conference.

Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent tried to calm nerves in the crowd Tuesday,........

© The Hill