U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

The opening of the Panama Canal to commercial traffic 112 years ago today marked a defining achievement in American Economic Statecraft. On August 15, 1914, the SS Ancon became the first vessel to officially transit the Canal. Its voyage inaugurated a monumental infrastructure project that both created a more efficient route for U.S. commerce and advanced American influence in our Hemisphere.

Africa holds significant reserves of critical minerals, like cobalt, chromium, tantalum, and platinum group metals, that are essential to modern manufacturing and energy. These resources are vital to the continent’s economic future and increasingly important to resilient U.S. supply chains. DFC proudly works with African partners and the private sector to create local jobs, build trusted infrastructure, and advance our shared security interests. 

DFC is honored to carry America’s trusted leadership forward through strategic investment. The United States has been a wellspring of hope and liberty around the world for 250 years – and will remain so for generations to come.

Our adversaries’ financing schemes often fail to respond to market realities – and simply cannot match the speed, discipline, and efficiency of free enterprise. DFC harnesses the strengths of America’s private sector to mobilize investment where it can deliver lasting results.

American Economic Statecraft – using the strength of the U.S. economy to protect and advance America’s strategic interests – is central to DFC’s mission. DFC partners with the private sector to back projects that create new opportunities for American companies, reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure the United States remains competitive in the industries that matter most to our security and prosperity. By investing with trusted partners, DFC helps build a stronger foundation for American leadership in a competitive world.  

Under our free enterprise system, bold entrepreneurs and pioneering companies have made the United States the world’s leader in technological innovation. America’s Deal Team is leveraging that vast advantage to forward our nation’s foreign policy priorities.

DFC mobilizes private capital alongside America’s leading healthcare innovators to bring advanced medical technologies to allied nations. From modern prosthetic care for war-wounded Ukrainians to other breakthrough health solutions, these investments demonstrate how American ingenuity can support stability for allies and open new avenues for growth.

Critical minerals are essential to American economic security and technological leadership. When these resources must be sourced overseas, the United States cannot afford to rely on supply chains vulnerable to disruption by adversaries. DFC mobilizes private capital for strategic investments in reliable, diversified supply chains that run through America’s friends and allies.

The Marshall Plan was one of history’s most consequential examples of American Economic Statecraft. After World War II, the United States helped our European partners reconstruct war-torn infrastructure and revive industry. The plan also advanced vital U.S. interests – building up our allies with American-made goods, countering Soviet influence, and anchoring partners to the American system. By fueling demand for American products, the Marshall Plan supported prosperity at home. DFC applies this approach today, mobilizing private capital for investments that develop reliable infrastructure for our allies and move U.S. national interests forward.

America’s economic security, tech leadership, and defense readiness depend on reliable access to critical minerals. DFC is mobilizing private capital alongside trusted partners to strengthen the supply chains behind the industries that matter most. By reducing dependence on adversarial sources, DFC is helping secure the resources America needs to compete and lead.