Gambiaj.com – (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – In a bold display of his transactional foreign policy, President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted the leaders of five African nations rich in minerals at the White House, aiming to counter the deepening foothold of China and Russia across the continent.
The working lunch, described by U.S. officials as focused on trade, investment, and security, brought together the presidents of Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, and Gabon—countries seen as strategic for their vast deposits of critical minerals and oil reserves.
Opening the summit, Trump did not mince words about his intentions. He praised the assembled nations as “very high-value land, super minerals, large oil reserves, and wonderful people,” underscoring the economic allure that drew them to Washington.
“There is great economic potential in Africa, like few other places, in many ways,” Trump said, making clear that his renewed Africa policy revolves around securing mineral access, vital for technologies such as electric vehicles and semiconductors.
Trump also singled out Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye for special praise, highlighting his political resilience. “He had a very interesting course. He looks very young. He is a little older than he looks, but he did a fantastic job,” Trump remarked, adding, “The former government treated him very unfairly, but he held out. So congratulations on this.”
The summit comes as the Trump administration pushes for deals centered on mineral wealth, continuing a pattern seen in negotiations with Ukraine and in brokering peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Throughout the gathering, the African leaders openly promoted their countries’ resource wealth to their American host.
“We have minerals, rare earths, manganese, uranium, and we have good reasons to think we have lithium and other ores,” said Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.
Senegal’s Diomaye Faye reassured American investors about his country’s political stability and favorable regulations while emphasizing its growing oil and gas potential. In a lighter moment, he even suggested Trump consider building a golf club in Senegal.
Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema also touted his country’s resource wealth. “Gabon is a rich country. We have more than two million inhabitants and a wide variety of raw materials, oil and gas reserves, and we would like these resources to be exploited,” he said.
Gabon is particularly strategic, ranking as the world’s second-largest producer of manganese—a key component for electric vehicle batteries.
This summit follows a string of U.S.-Africa business engagements, including a recent forum in Angola where American companies pledged infrastructure investments.
However, the meeting also coincides with Washington’s decision to dismantle USAID and slash its foreign aid footprint, signaling a pivot from traditional development assistance to hard-nosed deal-making.
Liberian President Joseph Boakai’s spokesperson said the invitation was welcomed as a way to reposition Liberia beyond being merely an aid-dependent nation.
Analysts, however, see high stakes for Trump’s approach. “This summit marks a pivotal moment and a test for the Trump administration’s Africa strategy,” said Landry Signé, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
“The question is whether the U.S. can translate this mineral-focused doctrine into durable partnerships that surpass China and Russia in capital, presence, and long-term commitment,” he noted.
For now, Trump appears determined to compete—on terms defined by resources, not aid.
