In the midst of growing friction between Washington and several African capitals, the city of Atlanta, Georgia is positioning itself as “America’s gateway to Africa.”

The city is offering a seemingly apolitical alternative hub for commerce, culture, and diaspora engagement. The push—championed by Atlanta’s mayor—is drawing attention from across the Atlantic, particularly in countries like Ghana, where ties with the United States have deep historical, social, and economic roots.

Why Atlanta Sees Itself as a Bridge

Atlanta has long been known in the United States as a center of Black enterprise, culture, and influence. Civic leaders see the city’s potential to extend that legacy across the Atlantic by forging stronger ties with African nations. The goal: make Atlanta a go-to destination for African businesses, investors, and diaspora communities looking to engage with both the U.S. and Africa.

According to The Africa Report, Mayor Andre Dickens and his administration have already begun laying the groundwork, promoting policies, partnerships and infrastructure that highlight Atlanta’s existing diversity, its large African-descended population, and its strong business and transport links — positioning it as an alternative gateway at a time when traditional diplomatic channels are increasingly fraught.

What This Could Mean for Ghana and the African Diaspora

For countries like Ghana, and for Ghanaians in the U.S. diaspora — many of whom pass through or settle around Atlanta — this could translate into new pathways for investment, trade, cultural exchanges and professional collaborations.

• Business and Trade Links: As more African entrepreneurs and investors view Atlanta as a gateway to the Americas, Ghanaian businesses could leverage this connection to access new supply chains, distribution networks, and diaspora consumer markets in the U.S.
• Diaspora and Cultural Engagement: For the African diaspora in Georgia and the wider American South, a stronger link with Africa could make it easier to maintain cultural and familial ties, travel back home or invest in projects back in Ghana.
• Alternative to Political Uncertainty: With rising tensions between African governments and Washington over trade policy, foreign aid, and diplomacy, Atlanta offers a less politicized entry point for collaboration — one anchored in business, community and culture.

Skepticism and Challenges Remain

Analysts caution, however, that a shift from formal diplomacy to city-driven engagement doesn’t erase structural challenges. Legal frameworks, visa regimes, regulatory barriers, and the pace of infrastructural investment will still shape whether Atlanta’s ambitions translate into real opportunities for Africans.

For Ghana in particular — a country that has long benefited from formal U.S.-Africa partnerships and frameworks like trade agreements and foreign aid — the success of this alternative model may depend on flexibility, diaspora mobilization, and partnerships beyond government.

Broader Significance: Africa’s Global Repositioning

Atlanta’s rise as a bridge between America and Africa is symptomatic of a larger global recalibration. As nations in Africa reassert their agency, diversify partnerships, and lean on diaspora networks, cities — not just capitals — are emerging as new nodes of influence and connection.

For Ghana and its diaspora, that could mean more than business and travel: a changing sense of identity, opportunity and engagement in a world where geography is shifting, but ties remain rooted in shared history and ambition.

Cassava Technologies, the pan-African digital powerhouse founded by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, has launched a breakthrough platform that could dramatically reshape how Africa accesses and deploys artificial intelligence.

The new system — Cassava AI Multi-Model Exchange (CAIMEx) — is being hailed as the continent’s first AI exchange platform, giving mobile network operators (MNOs) a single doorway to advanced AI models from global leaders including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

For an industry that serves more than half a billion mobile subscribers across Africa, the move could mark a turning point in the region’s digital future.

The idea is simple but powerful: rather than building their own complicated AI integrations, MNOs can plug into CAIMEx and instantly access multiple large language models for tasks ranging from customer support automation to complex data analysis. Newer models can be added seamlessly.

For Cassava AI chief executive Ahmed El Beheiry, the launch is about positioning Africa not merely as a passive consumer of imported AI tools but as a player with its own technological footprint.

“With its growing AI ecosystem, Africa has the potential to be more than a consumer of AI technologies,” El Beheiry said. “Through CAIMEx, Cassava is creating a bridge between global innovation and African ambition, giving every MNO the ability to offer subscribers world-class AI tools easily and affordably.”

A major part of that ambition is data sovereignty — one of the most sensitive issues in Africa’s digital policy landscape. CAIMEx is hosted within Cassava’s regional AI factories, keeping user data on the continent and ensuring compliance with national regulations from Accra to Nairobi. The architecture is designed to handle high-compute AI workloads while maintaining stable performance for operators in markets where infrastructure can vary widely.

The platform is a cornerstone of Cassava Technologies’ wider AI strategy. In 2025, the company announced plans to build five AI factories across Africa within 12 months and later signed a $720 million partnership with NVIDIA to expand high-performance computing capacity for the continent’s AI infrastructure needs.

For Masiyiwa — whose companies operate in more than 90 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas — AI is the next competitive leap for African telecoms, fintechs and enterprises. Cassava’s integrated ecosystem, which includes Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres and Sasai Fintech, gives the company a uniquely broad digital footprint to push AI tools directly into the hands of African businesses and consumers.

The launch of CAIMEx signals a new phase in Africa’s AI race: one driven not by imports, but by home-grown infrastructure, continental data control and long-term economic ambition. As global AI models continue to evolve rapidly, Cassava’s bet is that Africa should not be left waiting at the margins.

Standard Bank has become the first African financial institution authorized to process transactions through China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS).

This marks a major shift in Africa–China trade integration and signaling Africa’s growing influence in global financial networks.

The milestone was confirmed at this year’s Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai, where Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking was granted its license to offer CIPS transactions. The forum, known for convening top government officials, financial leaders, and scholars, focuses on strengthening international financial cooperation and accelerating China’s market reforms.

A New Era for Africa–China Transactions

Through CIPS, interbank payments between Africa and China can now move directly in Chinese renminbi (RMB), eliminating the need to channel payments through multiple correspondent banks or convert through intermediary currencies such as the U.S. dollar.

For African businesses deeply integrated in Chinese supply chains, this is more than a technical upgrade — it’s a simplification that could cut costs, reduce delays, and ease one of the continent’s enduring barriers to fast-moving trade.

“As an institution that is invested in driving Africa’s economic growth, we are excited to be the first bank on the continent that offers CIPS transactions,” said Anne Aliker, Group Head of Client Coverage at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking. “This demonstrates our commitment and ability to deliver innovative solutions that truly add value for our clients.”

Why This Matters: Trade With China Is Surging

Standard Bank’s Trade Barometer 2024 shows 34% of African businesses surveyed now source imports from China — up from 23% in May 2023. That jump reflects a broad trend: China remains Africa’s largest export market and one of its most critical partners for infrastructure, technology, and consumer goods.

Against this backdrop, the ability to clear renminbi payments directly is poised to transform operational efficiency.

“We believe that CIPS will contribute to unlocking Africa’s economic potential by fast-tracking trade, supporting infrastructure development, increasing regional integration and enabling more efficient deployment of capital,” Aliker added.

A Boost for African Competitiveness

Analysts say the move positions African companies to trade on terms that better match the speed and scale of global supply chains. It also aligns with Beijing’s broader push for RMB internationalisation — a strategy that, for Africa, could translate into smoother financing for cross-border projects and reduced currency volatility.

With CIPS access, African exporters shipping minerals, agricultural products, and manufactured goods to China may find it easier to reconcile payments and track settlement timelines. Importers stand to benefit from lower friction and more predictable transaction flows.

Standard Bank says CIPS transactions will go live on its platforms from September 2025.

“We will continue to seamlessly meet our clients’ needs by providing flexibility in solutions aligned to the developing payments landscape,” Aliker said.