Trump hosts five African leaders of small economies

Five African leaders from small economy countries are in the United States for a three-day summit with President Donald Trump in what the White House has described as an “incredible” opportunity to advance commercial interests.
The leaders in Washington are the leader of Guinea Bissau James Marape alongside Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritania), Liberia’s Joseph Boakai and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal.
With Secretary of State Marco Rubio away on a visit in Malaysia, his deputy Christopher Landau will lead negotiations with the heads of state after they meet with President Trump on the first day of the summit.
The summit which comes as Trump pushes on with his tariffs agenda, is expected to demonstrate his policy for Africa, with all the invited countries currently on a 10% tarrif on exports to the US.
Trump’s policy has been touted as “trade, not aid” and many analysts see the choice of these minor economies as a marker for how he intends to treat the continent.
Issues on the table
It remains to be seen whether these leaders will be pushing to have the tariffs reduced or even removed altogether, the latter likely to be hinged on making major concessions on US access to their critical minerals and other natural resources.
Other areas of the engagements are likely to center on maritime security and immigration, with the possibility of Trump asking these countries to host deportees being hinted at.
Visa overstay rates could be another issue on the table, especially for Gabon and Liberia, which have higher ones than Burundi, which was last month listed among the countries facing US travel restrictions on account of visa overstays.
In May, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa was the first African leader to visit the Oval Office since President Trump returned to. the White House. The meeting came on the backdrop of Trump’s claims that there was genocide against white farmers in South Africa, which led him to offer Afrikaans refugee status to the United States.
Trump, after taking over on 20 January, cut US aid to Africa, saying the policy did not align with his “America First” mantra, and it remains unclear how he intends to shape US relations with the continent.
On this account, doubts abound whether the US will renew the US will renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which guarantees duty-free access for certain goods from Africa, when it comes to an end later in 2025.
Last month, Trump facilitated the signing of a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in what is being touted as his attempt to have the US gain favorable, lucrative access to the DRC’s mineral resources. Presidents Felix Tshisekedi (DRC) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) are expected to visit the White House sometime in August to further those trade diplomatic efforts.