Trump hosts five African leaders in bold bid for minerals, security, and influence

In a surprise diplomatic move, former U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal July 9-11, signaling a shift in U.S.-Africa relations rooted less in aid and more in deals, minerals, and migration control.

Though these five nations are small in global trade terms, they sit atop strategic reserves of rare earths, gold, oil, and iron ore — resources Trump is eager to secure as the United States competes with China. A White House official stated Trump believes African nations offer “incredible commercial opportunities” that can serve American and African interests alike. Yet critics argue the summit is more transactional than transformative. “I doubt this meeting will bring tangible benefits to the African countries involved. There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” said Prof. William Ferreira of Guinea-Bissau. “All five regimes … are grappling with major institutional problems and breaches of the rule of law — but that doesn’t bother Trump.”

Security concerns also loom large. West Africa lies along key migrant and narcotics routes. Trump is expected to offer military surveillance tools in exchange for tighter border controls. While the invited leaders face domestic rule-of-law challenges, their inclusion gives them international legitimacy — and Trump a photo-op of global support. “Why these five (presidents)? What strings are being pulled, and what deals are being dangled?,” asks a new commentary published by the U.S.-based Institute of the Black World 21st Century. “The answer is emerging with startling clarity: minerals, leverage, and strategic positioning,” says the analysis titled ‘Trump’s Africa Power Play: Deals Over Diplomacy, Minerals Over Manners’. For many, the summit offers opportunity — for others, it raises questions about whose interests will truly be served.