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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The United States (U.S.) President, Donald Trump will host the presidents of five African nations at the White House next week for a high-level summit focused on expanding trade, investment, and commercial ties, a White House official confirmed Wednesday.
Leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal are scheduled to meet with Trump on July 9 for discussions and a working lunch centered on commercial opportunities.
“President Trump believes that African countries offer incredible commercial opportunities which benefit both the American people and our African partners,” the official said.
The summit, set to run from July 9 to 11, was first reported by Intelligence and Semafor. It marks a significant pivot in U.S.-Africa relations under Trump’s second term, with a notable shift away from traditional aid programs toward market-based partnerships.
The administration has significantly reduced foreign aid to African nations, replacing what officials describe as a “charity-based” model with a trade-centric approach aligned with Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the new policy direction on Tuesday, stating that the U.S. will prioritize assistance to African nations that demonstrate “both the ability and willingness to help themselves.”
Troy Fitrel, head of the State Department’s Africa bureau, added that U.S. diplomats on the continent will now be assessed based on commercial deals secured rather than development assistance metrics “a clear signal of the administration’s new strategic direction.”
Just last month (June ), the White House notably brokered a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, putting a preliminary end to hostilities and Rwandan-backed rebel groups fighting DRC troops in the east of the country for several months.
While a bilateral meeting with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in May went down with more tensions, with some describing Trump “ambushing” the South African leader, the upcoming mini-summit next week is likely to focus mostly on trade relations and commercial opportunities.
Trump has made increasing business ties a key objective of relations with the African continent, which he wants to substitute for axed humanitarian programmes and development aid.
Plans for a wider US-Africa summit have also been scheduled September, although nothing has been confirmed so far from either side.