₦airaland Forum

US President Donald Trump is set to meet the leaders of five African states, an invitation the White House sees as an "incredible" commercial opportunity.

Trump's choice of guests include the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal - none of whom represent the major economies of the continent.

The three-day summit is expected to concentrate on Trump's "trade, not aid" policy and with all of them facing 10% tariffs on goods exported to the US, they may be hoping to do deals to negotiate this rate down.

Those up for grabs may include ones over critical minerals, with maritime security, migration and hosting deportees also likely to be on the table.

With the exception of Gabon, they lie along routes used by migrants, as well as drug traffickers from Latin America.

Some of the nations are also potentially vulnerable to the southward spread of the Islamist insurgencies that affect their neighbours further inland - so discussions on co-operation in tackling this threat are also likely.

Earlier this year Gen Michael Langley, who heads the US Africa Command (Africom), warned that one of the jihadists' new objectives was gaining access to West Africa's coast - and that that also raised "the chance of threats reaching US shores".

Senegal's former ambassador to Washington, Babacar Diagne, said the invitations to the African leaders reflected the recent "paradigm shift" in US policy towards the continent.

After taking office in January for his second term, Trump cut US aid to the continent, saying it was wasteful and incompatible with his "America First" policy.

With Trump and the Republican Party at the helm, there is also doubt about whether the US will renew later this year its African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which guarantees duty-free access for certain goods from Africa.

"It's not like before with the Democrats. There were two strong points with them: poverty reduction and development issues, through Agoa and other initiatives. All that is over," Mr Diagne told the BBC.

According to the former diplomat, the Trump administration's position will mirror how it has dealt with Ukraine war-time leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Pure trade. It's give and take, win and win. We saw it with Ukraine. You sign the agreement on minerals and you'll have us on your side, otherwise, you forget everything," Mr Diagne said.

Indeed Nicaise Mouloumbi, head of a leading non-governmental organisation in oil-rich Gabon, said the Trump administration's focus on Africa was down to increasing competition from rival powers - including China and Russia - for its prized resources.

"All these [invited] countries have important minerals: gold, oil, manganese, gas, wood and zircon - Senegal, Mauritania and Gabon, in particular," he told the BBC.

Gabon holds around a quarter of the global known reserves of manganese - and it provides 22% of China's of the mineral, which is used in the production of batteries and stainless steel.

Mr Mouloumbi added that the US might be most keen to strengthen ties with Gabon not only because it had "strategic" minerals like manganese and uranium, as well as oil, but also because it was strategically located along the Gulf of Guinea, with a coastline of about 800km (500 miles).

It could host a US military base that America plans to build in the region, Mr Mouloumbi said.

Mr Diagne made a similar point about piracy, saying that "maritime terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea has become an extremely important issue" for the US.

Many tankers carrying oil and gas travel through the Gulf of Guinea, which has been known as a piracy hot spot for several years.

For Mauritania and Senegal, migration will be central to discussions, according to Ousmane Sene, the head of the West African Research Centre (WARC),

"Let's not forget that between 2023 and 2025, no fewer than 20,000 young Mauritanians left for the US via Nicaragua, along with hundreds of young Senegalese," the analyst told the BBC.

"All these countries are also departure points for illegal emigration," he added.

"That's an extremely important point in his [Trump's] migration policy, and every day people are turned back at the borders."

Mauritania is the only one of the five countries that does not have diplomatic ties with US ally Israel - cutting them in 2009 over an offensive in Gaza - and sources have told Semafor that restoring them may be a sticking point for any would-be White House deal.

Liberia may also be considering a US proposal to accept people deported by the US, including criminals. The country, which has close historical links to America, was reportedly included on a proposed list of countries that the US had approached.

Guinea-Bissau, which has suffered a series of coups and attempted coups over the years, is reportedly keen for the US embassy to reopen in the capital, Bissau, following its closure after the army mutinied in 1998.

President Umaro Cissoko Embaló was clearly proud of the White House's invite for Guinea-Bissau, which several years ago was labelled a "narco-state" by the US and UN as it was once a major transit hub for cocaine from Latin America to Europe and North America.

"Guinea-Bissau has now emerged from a state of disorder to become a real state. The Americans do not invite just any state to their country - only a well-structured state," he was quoted as saying at the airport before he left for Washington.

He and his counterparts - Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, Joseph Boakai of Liberia, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal - will be hoping they hold some cards to do a deal with Trump.

In fact, it seems to have completely backfired as this week Africa's biggest economy found out that from next month its exports to the US are being slapped with a 30% tariff.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygqenwx78o BBC

Please take a moment to write a quality post with at least 40 characters.
This will make the forum more interesting for everyone.

We do no care, we are giant of Africa

Olodumare bless federal republic of Nigeria
Olodumare bless president BOLA AHMED TINUBU

Trump is meeting with African leaders but wouldn’t meet with Nigerian President?

Una wan start another war bah! Obama part 2 incoming!

Papa Seyi can never fall within this category of leaders

God bless Nigeria 🇳🇬
God bless America 🇺🇸

Okay okay okay

Data boys and 30k hustlers are busy on the Peter obi meeting Abacha thread

Ever since the emergence of adc, bots have invaded nairaland again.

As una don murder rest, sleep will run far away from you

African leaders like school boys report to the principal office. Hahaha. Africa must wake up sleeping sons of Jacob

Please spell words correctly when you post, and try to use perfect grammar and punctuation.

Well there is no point inviting BAT, he has nothing to say...only Bulabah

givedemwotowoto:
Trump is meeting with African leaders but wouldn’t meet with Nigerian President?

Nigeria doesn't belong to categories of very poor African countries lumped together to go and see Trump, like servants reporting to their master.

[quote author=givedemwotowoto post=136046073]Trump is meeting with African leaders but wouldn’t meet Tinubu?
He doesn't want to rarnish his reputation by having anything to do with a druggie

I thought simon ekpa would be there. Commander in chief ndiara

BlackViper:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygqenwx78o BBC

It's because the top African countries of Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia are already aligned with China so he went for low hanging fruits.

Americans are even questioning why he is meeting with the poorest countries of Africa to discuss trade deals when he should be meeting with Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Smh

Trump is having the time of his life, playing "GOD" across the universe.

African leaders and undignified begging sha.

SMH!!!

In summary USA is begging for minerals and in exchange,they will give us security from "terrorists" whom the same USA trained and armed through africom

DIVINEEVIDENCE:
See where tribal politics eventually landed us.

We don't mind voting an idi@t into power so long as he hails from our ethnic group.

The once revered odogwu of Africa has become an odiegwu that now enters into bilateral agreements with Islands the size of Ariara market just to belong.

I support the disenfranchisement of illiterate, half-educated and teenage voters with every fibre in me.

Not every adult should be eligible to vote in our general elections.

This one is just ranting! Trump invited presidents that he can easily handle you are here lamenting.

DIVINEEVIDENCE:
See where tribal politics eventually landed us.

We don't mind voting an idi@t into power so long as he hails from our ethnic group.

The once revered odogwu of Africa has become an odiegwu that now enters into bilateral agreements with Islands the size of Ariara market just to belong.

I support the disenfranchisement of illiterate, half-educated and teenage voters with every fibre in me.

Not every adult should be eligible to vote in our general elections.

Cry well well. A 3rd Class Philosophy graduate from Agulu will never ever rule Nigeria

givedemwotowoto:
Trump is meeting with African leaders but wouldn’t meet with Nigerian President?

Did you read the body of the post at all or you're just commenting like a blind man?

This white man has zero regard for black people not to talk of black Africans
Any meeting would be to look down inferior on them and manipulate them for his own advantage

so those guys wanted Nigeria to be jumbled up with this lot... to what end..

this is America trying to tell d liabilities to level up.

we r lot of things, but Nigeria is not a liability

Angelfrost:
Trump is having the time of his life, playing "GOD" across the universe.

African leaders and undignified begging sha.

SMH!!!

An 80 year old man for that matter…

He try try, he may barely live to see the next 15 years

givedemwotowoto:
Trump is meeting with African leaders but wouldn’t meet with Nigerian President?

What about Egypt, Ghana, Algeria l, Kenya? Are they not country or what's the matter with you people

Cheap emotional madness, always blaming whites for their own incompetence and playing victimhood I am African but I choose to be logical and truthful.

Angelfrost:
Trump is having the time of his life, playing "GOD" across the universe.

African leaders and undignified begging sha.

SMH!!!

BlackViper:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygqenwx78o BBC

Donald Trump is too emotional, he is still angry as to why Nigeria got involved in the BRICS of a thing. But to South Africa he will soon send their original US made president back home . Elon musk. Those ones no go ever see his green light at all. Even Hon. Malema sef dey watch before saying jagons nowadays as the may nearly skin the SA president alive in the oval office ie during the his visit . Not even give the opportunity to shalaye anything 😆😆😆

Omoawoke:
This white man has zero regard for black people not to talk of black Africans
Any meeting would be to look down inferior on them and manipulate them for his own advantage

Does the black man value his fellow black from another ethnicity - especially: in Nigeria?

They will be discussing trade and not aid. This is a serious discussion and Nigeria was not invited. Truly things have fallen apart.