As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to reenter the White House, he faces a world markedly different from the one he left.

War rages in Europe, the Middle East is once again in turmoil, and China is more emboldened and belligerent than ever. Compounding these challenges is the steady fraying of America’s traditional alliances, especially in Europe, where decades of political, economic, and strategic neglect have left once-reliable partners diminished and consumed by a self-inflicted civilizational crisis. To safeguard U.S. interests in an increasingly volatile world, Washington must diversify its partnerships. Africa, a continent Trump once infamously disparaged, merits a fresh look.

Too often regarded by the United States through the lens of instability, poverty, and corruption, perceptions that, while not unfounded, obscure more than they illuminate, Africa’s policy agenda has been largely dominated by aid programs, democracy-building experiments, and “impact investing” schemes. Yet Africa is of immense strategic value to the U.S. — both as a vital source of minerals critical to our defense industrial base and as a possibly key partner in the geopolitical contests of the 21st century.

The continent is home to roughly 32 critical minerals essential to the U.S. military capabilities, including bauxite, the........

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