US President Donald Trump is looking to cut costs by scaling back its diplomatic presence around the world. According to Trump's plan, nearly 30 embassies and consulates worldwide will be closed, many of them in Africa.

This is evident from a draft executive decree, whose contents were published by the New York Times. It envisions a complete structural State Department overhaul by October 1. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, promptly dismissed the reported plan as "fake news" on X, formerly Twitter.

Embassies no longer a priority

"Appointments of ambassadors by the Trump administration is not a priority," says Alex Vines, who heads the Africa program at London's Chatham House think tank. "So far there have been three ambassadors on the African continent nominated by the Trump administration: for South Africa, for Morocco and for Tunisia. All the others either have existing ambassadors still serving or vacancies."

In some cases, diplomats have been appointed acting ambassadors until it becomes clear what the Trump administration plans to do with the respective embassy.

A glance at the American Foreign Service Association shows that there are currently no entries for smaller countries but also none for larger, economy powerful countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Ethiopia. It is unclear who will represent the US in these countries going forward.

The plan is to significantly reduce the US diplomatic footprint in Africa, Vines told DW. Lesotho, Eritrea, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Gambia, and South Sudan will have embassies closed, along with consulates in Douala, Cameroon, and Durban in South Africa.

US President Trump recently named Leo Brent Bozell III as ambassador to South Africa, an industrial powerhouse, pending confirmation by the US Senate.

"He is a deeply conservative media critic and probably a difficult appointment for South Africa," Steven Gruzd, who heads the Africa-Russia Project at the South African Institute of International Affairs, told DW.

South African ambassador expelled

The appointment of pro-Israel Bozell follows the expulsion of South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from Washington, who had criticized Trump. Diplomatic relations between the two countries reached a low point following the expulsion.

The Trump administration has condemned South Africa's lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice over the Gaza war. In February, there was another row: Trump accused the South African government of arbitrary expropriating land, speaking of "discrimination" against white South Africans in order to seize their land.

Trump put financial aid to the country on hold, affecting projects that support the fight against HIV and AIDS, to the detriment of many ordinary people. For Gruzd, this is just another sign that Donald Trump does not care about Africa.

"Africa didn't feature very strongly in Trump's first term. He was insulting toward the continent and he ignored it," Gruzd told DW. "He didn't visit throughout his term. And it's not a surprise to me that there are vacancies in ambassadors for important countries in Africa."

Bilateral cooperation

Since taking office in January, Trump has begun radically downsizing ministries, agencies, and government programs as well as laying off thousands of government employees. The cuts are driven by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), currently still headed by Elon Musk, which is making drastic efforts to downsize the federal government.

The State Department, too, will be downsized as part of these strategic reforms. This is due to financial pressure resulting from a heavily indebted US economy, but also a product of Trump's thinking.

"We saw that he prefers dealing with countries bilaterally," Christopher Isike, director of the African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of Pretoria, told DW. This, he said, was the new mindset of the administration and how it wants to cooperate with others. That is why Isike does not expect the US trade agreement with African countries (AGOA)to be extended on October 1, 2025.

This reduction of US presence around the world is happening in countries where the administration feels they are not benefiting as much as they should be relative to the investments they've put into embassies and consulates, Isike told DW.

However, there will be no complete withdrawal at the diplomatic level.

"In some of these countries, embassies may be closed, but they will be served by regional offices," Isike said. "In South Sudan, for example, there could be a closure, but that remains to be seen."

Will other countries fill the void?

According to Isike, there are certain countries, such as South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and possibly Nigeria, with which the Trump administration would like to continue bilateral relations.

The reason is that these countries have minerals that could be useful to the American economy. This is significant right now, "as China is blocking access to some important minerals that it supplies to the US," Isike added.

The political analyst is convinced that the US will maintain its presence in such countries, including Kenya. These will then serve as regional hubs.

Analysts also, however, emphasize that reducing US diplomatic presence in Africa poses risks for Trump's administration. This is because it will create space for others to fill, with Chinaa possible actor to play a bigger role, Isike told DW.

The United Arab Emirates, Turkey, India, Russia, the Gulf states, and European countries will also be looking for opportunities on the continent, Alex Vines told DW. "Less America will actually be an incentive, I think, for... other regions to look at how they might enhance their diplomatic relations with Africa."

This article was translated from German