US President Donald Trump met with 5 African leaders on the White Home on 9 July 2025, in a gathering that was touted to give attention to mutual financial advantages.
On the assembly, Trump outlined the aim of shifting from assist to commerce, praising the visiting leaders and emphasising the significance of strengthening commerce ties with Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, Senegal, Liberia and Mauritania, the nations that have been a part of the summit.
Every president highlighted their nation’s untapped pure assets through the luncheon.
Mauritanian President, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, recognized lithium, manganese, and uranium as important assets.
Along with supporting industrialisation, President Brice Oligui Nguema highlighted the necessity for power infrastructure and argued for US funding in Gabon’s mineral processing sector.
Trump praised the visiting leaders and described their nations as “vibrant locations” with “very beneficial land” and “nice mineral wealth”.
SECURITY AND MIGRATION ON AGENDA
Migration and drug trafficking have been strategic points for the US authorities.
Guinea-Bissau and Senegal are important transit nations for routes utilized by drug and migration traffickers.
One of many many parts of present US coverage for Liberians residing in the US is the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) extension, which quickly delays deportation and is a discretionary presidential directive and never a regulation.
Former President Biden issued a memorandum on 28 June 2024, extending the DED for eligible Liberians till 30 June 2026.
Till then, eligible Liberian nationals and stateless people who final habitually resided in Liberia have protections from deportation underneath the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) coverage.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration just lately extradited drug traffickers from Guinea-Bissau to face penalties.
As well as, President Trump emphasised utilizing commerce as a diplomatic software to cut back violence and instability within the area.
Moreover, the leaders expressed their help for American peace efforts in Rwanda and the DR Congo.
AID CUTS AND POLITICAL CONTROVERSY
The summit follows the closure of the US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID), ending US overseas assist to Africa.
USAID beforehand accounted for about 2.6% of Liberia’s gross nationwide revenue (GNI), the best assist to GNI ratio globally.
In line with a College of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) international well being influence evaluation that was revealed in The Lancet, the termination of USAID programmes might end in greater than 14 million unnecessary deaths worldwide by 2030.
Over 4.5 million kids underneath 5 are among the many 133 low- and middle-income nations closely depending on US overseas assist.
Furthermore, Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló stays in workplace, along with his five-year time period constitutionally set to run out in September 2025.
Former Gabon chief Ali Bongo Ondimba faces corruption allegations after the coup in 2023 that put in Basic Brice Oligui Nguema because the nation’s chief.
Throughout the lunch, President Trump targeted on commerce and funding, with out publicly addressing governance, democracy, or human rights.
HOW MIGHT THE SUMMIT SHAPE U.S. STRATEGIC LEVERAGE IN WEST AFRICA?
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