All told, the Kingdom’s prioritization of its economic reform agenda, its interdependence with regional trade partners, and political uncertainty in the United States point to a period of heightened focus on Asia ties in the immediate future. However, Vision 2030’s dizzying ambition of overhauling subsidies and public sector reliance, coupled with channeling a massive, increasingly well-educated youth population into a fledgling knowledge economy, will necessitate that the Saudis cast a wide net to capture as much foreign investment and diversified revenue as possible. 

This renewed “commercial diplomacy” between the United States and Africa in the Obama administration has coincided with a rise in U.S. investment into Africa. Between 2009 and 2013, U.S. goods and service exports to Africa grew 40 percent and totaled $50.2 billion.