United States President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, hosted Presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The meeting focused on business opportunities as the African leaders sought partnerships to develop their resources.
According to the Aljazeera report, during lunch at the State Dining Room, Trump said the leaders hail from “very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits and wonderful people.”
He said, “There’s a lot of anger on your continent. We’ve been able to solve a lot of it,” pointing to a recent peace agreement leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda recently signed at the White House.
Trump also hinted that the five countries were unlikely to face U.S. tariffs.
At the meeting, Gabon’s President Brice Oligui Nguema told Trump his country was open to investment and wanted to see its raw mineral resources processed locally, which would require more investments.
“We are not poor countries. We are rich countries when it comes to raw materials. But we need partners to support us and help us develop those resources with win-win partnerships,” Nguema said.
Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye suggested his country also offered investment opportunities for tourism, including a golf course.
Faye said the course would only be a six-hour flight from New York and suggested Trump could visit to show off his skills.
The U.S. President is expected to soon announce dates for a broader summit with African leaders, possibly in September around the time of the United Nations General Assembly.
This week’s mini-summit marks the latest effort by successive administrations to counter perceptions that the U.S. had neglected a continent where China has increasingly made economic inroads.
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation said the meeting would provide project development funding for the Banio Potash Mine in Mayumba, Gabon, helping Gabon reduce its dependence on imports.
“DFC’s efforts not only benefit the countries and communities where they invest but also advance US economic interests by opening new markets, strengthening trade relationships, and promoting a more secure and prosperous global economy,” said DFC head of investments Conor Coleman.
The five nations whose leaders are meeting Trump represent a small fraction of U.S.-Africa trade, but they possess untapped natural resources.
Senegal and Mauritania are important transit and origin countries when it comes to migration, and along with Guinea-Bissau, are struggling to contain drug trafficking, both issues of concern for the Trump administration.
The PUNCH