US President Donald Trump welcomed West Africa's rich natural resources as he hosted five leaders on Wednesday for the White House Summit, which aimed to promote trade to counter the growing influence of Russia and China.
Trump's administration is trying to strengthen economic ties with mineral-rich regions as it simultaneously curbs foreign aid to Africa and hit the country with 10% import tariffs.
Discussions with the presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon were expected to focus on commercial opportunities and safety.
“We are tirelessly working to build new economic opportunities, including both the US and many African countries,” Trump told leaders and reporters gathered before the meeting.
“Africa has great economic potential, like most other places in many respects.”
He erupted on “vibrant places, incredibly valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits” on the continent, and was rewarded with personal acclaim as each leader offered approval when asked by an African media outlet if Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize.
The lecture had lunch in the state dining room, and along with Washington, he calls for a steady supply of critical minerals.
All five invited countries enjoy a wealth of natural resources, including manganese, a key mineral in the production of iron ore, gold, diamond, lithium and cobalt.
But obscuring the talks is a fundamental step towards realigning Trump and his officials' relations with African countries.
Earlier this month, the administration said it had shut down the US Organization for International Development (USAID) and instead moved away from the “charity-based model” to focus on trade-based partnerships.
A study published in the Lancet Medical Journal shows that West Africa is expected to be one of the regions that has been hit hardest by aid cuts.
– Drug trafficking and immigration –
US financial aid played a key role in the reconstruction of Liberia after the civil war, but as last year, it still received $160 million a year (about 3% of GDP).
“Liberia is a longtime friend of the United States and believes in policies that will make America great again,” President Joseph Boachey told Trump.
“And we will also greatly help you and your diplomacy with you and your diplomacy that is related to economic development and commercial friendship.”
The US rival China has invested heavily in several participating countries, with Gabon offering 22% of the manganese used in batteries.
Meanwhile, Russia supports the Sahel Newborn Alliance, which shares borders with several countries at lunchtime on Wednesday.
Security is expected to loom large at conferences, with the biggest concerns of Washington's international drug trafficking and immigration.
The Sahel countries in West Africa have been hit by attacks from terrorist groups, but a series of coups have deepened political instability.
Entries from the region account for a significant portion of the US black immigrant population, increasing by almost a quarter between 2012 and 2022 to 4.3 million.
Guinea-Bissau – Transit zones for cocaine shipments from Latin America to Europe and elsewhere have struggled to contain drug trafficking.
A US travel ban was reported in June that could affect Gabon, Liberia, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal as part of a larger list of 36 countries facing scrutiny by the Trump administration.
However, all four had endured praise for Trump, pointing out that he was at the end of his role in the peace deal negotiated in Washington between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and at the end of hostilities between Iran and Israel.
“As you saw, you can only do business when there is peace and security, and you can build peace anywhere in the world,” said Senegal President Basilou Diomai Fey.
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