Trump told leaders from five African countries on Wednesday that the United States is changing its approach to the continent, moving away from aid and focusing more on trade.
Hosting the presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal at the White House, Trump said the U.S. wants to expand business ties and position itself as a better economic partner for Africa than China, Reuters reported.
“We’re shifting from aid to trade,” he said at the beginning of the meeting.
“There’s great economic potential in Africa, like few other places. In many ways, in the long run, this will be far more effective and sustainable and beneficial than anything else that we can be doing together.”
Even though his administration closed the U.S. Agency for International Development and made deep cuts to programs that support African nations, Trump said he was committed to building stronger ties with Africa and added that he hoped to visit the continent in the future.
The African leaders, for their part, praised Trump for his role in peace negotiations around the world and said they supported the idea of him receiving a Nobel Prize, signaling, like many international figures have, that compliments tend to go over well with the former New York businessman.
Liberian President Joseph Boakai said he supported Trump’s efforts to make “America great again,” referring to Trump’s well-known political slogan, and urged U.S. companies to invest in Liberia.
Trump complimented Boakai’s English and asked where he learned it.
Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, has English as its official language.
Boakai replied, “I learned it there.” Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said his country, and others in Africa, had the resources but needed investment to develop them.
“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,” he said.
“You are welcome to come and invest. Otherwise, other countries might come instead of you.”
This small summit reflects ongoing U.S. attempts under different administrations to respond to criticism that the United States has ignored Africa while countries like China have steadily increased their influence through trade and infrastructure deals.
Trump emphasized this point by stating, “We treat Africa far better than China or anybody else, anyplace else.”
Image Credit: Independent
