US President Donald Trump welcomed the leaders of five African countries; President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Joseph Boakai of Liberia, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal to Washington, DC, on Wednesday. The meeting kicked off a three-day summit that the White House described as an “incredible” opportunity to boost trade and investment between the United States and Africa. A main topic at the summit was President Trump’s “trade, not aid” policy. All five nations currently face a 10% tariff on goods ex

US President Donald Trump welcomed the leaders of five African countries; President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Joseph Boakai of Liberia, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal to Washington, DC, on Wednesday. The meeting kicked off a three-day summit that the White House described as an “incredible” opportunity to boost trade and investment between the United States and Africa. A main topic at the summit was President Trump’s “trade, not aid” policy. All five nations currently face a 10% tariff on goods exported to the US, and their leaders hope to negotiate agreements to lower these trade barriers. During a lunch at the White House, the African presidents thanked Trump for his support and praised his recent efforts to help bring peace to Africa. Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani spoke first, highlighting a peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda that the White House helped broker. “In the short time you’ve been back in office, you came to the rescue for peace,” Ghazouani said. His remarks were echoed by the other African leaders, many of whom suggested that Trump should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye also complimented Trump’s golf skills and invited him to build a golf course in Senegal. Trump smiled and replied, “Thank you very much. Very nice. Thank you. I didn’t know I’d be treated this nicely. This is great. We could do this all day long.” In addition to expressing their appreciation, the African leaders promoted opportunities for American investors. Gabon’s President Nguema emphasized his country’s wealth of natural resources, including rare earth minerals, and encouraged US businesses to invest, warning that “other countries might come instead of you.” President Faye described plans to build a “tech city” overlooking the ocean in Dakar and invited American companies to participate in the project. The summit is set to continue for two more days, with further discussions on trade agreements, investment plans, and partnerships to strengthen ties between the United States and Africa.

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