President Donald Trump is set to host the leaders of five African nations at the White House on Wednesday, with trade, investment, and security expected to dominate the conversation over lunch in the State Dining Room.
The visiting presidents — from Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon — are attending at Trump’s invitation. While the White House has shared few specifics, officials from the African delegations told AFP they hope the talks will focus on moving beyond aid and strengthening economic partnerships.
Liberian President Joseph Boakai, through his press secretary Kula Fofana, said Liberia’s interest lies in “looking more to trade and engagement partners who will invest” rather than remaining “solely an aid recipient.” Similarly, Gabonese spokesman Theophane Biyoghe said his country sees the meeting as an opportunity to pursue “synergies centred around the industrialisation of our economy.”
The gathering comes amid rising Chinese and Russian activity in the region. Beijing has made significant investments in several of the five nations, while Moscow has supported the recently formed Alliance of Sahel States — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — which borders some of Wednesday’s participants.
Security concerns are also expected to come up. Guinea-Bissau, often used as a drug transit point between Latin America and Europe, recently handed four convicted traffickers to U.S. authorities. Before departing for Washington, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo called the visit “very important,” saying it could open economic opportunities and bring his country closer to U.S. support already extended to others.
The meeting follows the Trump administration’s decision to shut down USAID, touting the move as a rejection of what it called a “charity-based model” of foreign policy. This shift has left many African governments eager to redefine relations with Washington on a more commercial footing.
The visit also comes as an internal memo revealed the U.S. is weighing whether to add Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal to its travel ban list.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to elaborate on the agenda at Monday’s briefing, saying only that the president would “host leaders of five African nations for lunch” in the State Dining Room.
Unlike some of Trump’s previous meetings with foreign leaders — including tense moments with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa — no press appearance is planned for the African presidents after the session.