Washington is preparing to “challenge Chinese and Russian economic coercion and exploitation of African countries,” the House Ways and Means Committee said as the chamber approved the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The law provides preferential trade agreements to African countries in exchange for access to critical minerals supply chains. While the extension is an important step toward solidifying America’s presence in the region, Washington is leaving a key battlefield uncontested: the information space.
In March, the Trump administration defunded Voice of America, leaving a major media vacuum. As one Niger radio manager describes, without Voice of America, many local broadcasters are unable to sustain their business, leaving “listeners… confused, dependent on rumors circulating on social media.”
Russia has stepped into the void. Russian state media outlets such as Sputnik and RT Africa broadcast in more than 40 African countries. TASS plans to open offices across all 54 countries, according to Ukrainian intelligence, amounting to Russia’s largest influence operation in the region since Soviet times. In broadcasts, Kremlin state media attempts to stir resentment and distrust toward the West, reframing the Ukraine invasion as a special military operation defending independent nations against a “NATO terrorist network” that seeks to implement “negrophobic, supremacist, racist, and imperialist” policies.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, successor to the KGB, goes further, spreading conspiracies that Western pharmaceutical companies use Africa for biological experiments.
It’s time for the United States to fight back, but an effort that mirrors the Kremlin’s tactics of using false and polarizing narratives is doomed to fail. Using the Cold War public diplomacy playbook and reviving the VOA won’t do it either. The organization, once a voice of truth, is mired in accusations of mismanagement, suppression of journalistic freedom, and government overreach.
The answer lies in playing to American strengths: private sector innovation and protected business partnerships. The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy recognizes this, emphasizing the need for the United States to “transition from an aid-focused relationship with Africa to a trade- and investment-focused relationship” to assist Africa in “harnessing… abundant natural resources and latent economic potential.”
The U.S. has a formidable counteroffer to Moscow’s toxic campaigns: Hollywood. America’s multibillion-dollar film industry presents a more alluring proposition than Kremlin propaganda and already appeals to African audiences. Hollywood can collaborate with African film studios to elevate local stories with U.S. post-production infrastructure. The Pan-African entertainment future is already gaining traction: American filmmaker Tyler Perry and NBA Africa have signed an agreement with Kenya to explore developing film production infrastructure. Through joint ventures, Hollywood can provide technical expertise while African partners retain creative control, showcasing both American values and local content.
Such ventures should also include investing in African news agencies hit by the VOA shutdown — not as charity, but as a strategic entry into emerging markets. The VOA employed thousands of local journalists and broadcasters who now struggle to fill airtime and maintain their jobs. Hollywood can help by entering into regional partnerships with African broadcasters, tipping the scales in areas where Russian media is abundant, and demonstrating the benefits of working with a country that values freedom of expression and truth.
Moscow is shaping the perceptions of people who will comprise a quarter of the global population by 2050. By minimizing federal spending, the United States can yield mutual financial benefits for the U.S. private sector and its African partners. At the same time, Washington can discredit Moscow through action, not rhetoric, letting Africans witness American integrity firsthand and evaluate for themselves the credibility of Moscow’s neocolonialist claims.
TRUMP SHOULD FINISH THE JOB IN IRAN
The information environment is critical to combat Russia’s deceitful tentacles. The stage is set; through raising the curtain on sustainable partnerships between Hollywood and local African media creators, Washington can combat harmful Kremlin narratives with the truth.
Emily Hester is a research analyst with FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. Britt Bowersox is a former intern with FDD’s Russia Program.
