US President Donald Trump don praise Africa for di plenty natural resources wey dem get as e host five African leaders for White House summit on Wednesday. Di meeting na to promote trade and reduce di influence wey Russia and China dey get for di continent.
Trump administration dey try build better economic relationship with Africa wey get plenty minerals, even as dem dey reduce foreign aid to di continent and introduce 10% import tariffs for some countries.
Di leaders wey attend di meeting na di presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon. Di discussion focus on business opportunities and security matters.
Trump talk say, "We dey work hard to create new economic opportunities wey go benefit both United States and many African countries." E also praise Africa say di continent get "valuable lands, great minerals, and oil deposits."
Di leaders wey attend di meeting even praise Trump back, and some of dem talk say e deserve to win Nobel Peace Prize. Di meeting happen for State Dining Room, and dem discuss how US fit secure steady supply of important minerals.
Di five countries wey dem invite get plenty natural resources like manganese, iron ore, gold, diamonds, lithium, and cobalt. Manganese dey important for making stainless steel and batteries.
But di meeting dey happen as Trump dey change di way US dey relate with African countries. Earlier dis month, di US government close di USAID office and talk say dem no go dey do "charity-based model" again, but go focus on trade partnerships.
West Africa go feel di impact of di aid cuts pass, and one study for Lancet medical journal talk say di cuts fit cause over 14 million deaths globally by 2030. Liberia, for example, dey still depend on US aid wey reach $160 million last year, about 3% of di country GDP.
China and Russia dey also increase their influence for Africa. China don invest well-well for countries like Gabon, wey dey supply 22% of di manganese wey dem dey use for batteries. Russia, on di other hand, dey support di Alliance of Sahel States wey dey near di countries wey attend di meeting.
Security matter dey important for di meeting too. West Africa Sahel region dey face wahala from terrorist groups, and di coups wey dey happen don make di place unstable. Drug trafficking and immigration na another issue wey dem discuss.
Guinea-Bissau dey struggle with drug trafficking because dem dey use di country as transit zone for cocaine wey dey move from Latin America go Europe. Di country president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, talk say, "Guinea-Bissau na peaceful country, and even though we small, we still be great country."
Reports for June talk say US dey consider travel ban for Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, as part of di list of 36 countries wey dey under Trump administration scrutiny.
