Trump eyes African mineral wealth in trade-focused summit
In a luncheon meeting with the presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon, Trump said his administration was "working tirelessly to forge new economic opportunities" with African partners."There's great economic potential in Africa, like few other places," Trump said. "Vibrant places, very valuable lands, great minerals, great oil deposits."
The talks focused on commercial partnerships and regional security, particularly around the stable supply of critical minerals, such as manganese, cobalt, lithium, iron ore and gold. All five nations represented are rich in such resources, with several supplying key inputs for batteries, steel and EV manufacturing.
The summit comes amid a recalibration of US-Africa relations. The Trump administration recently shuttered the US Agency for International Development (USAID), signalling a shift away from a traditional aid model to a trade-based strategy. The decision is expected to disproportionately impact regions like West Africa, where USAID support remains substantial.
Despite the aid cuts, the attending leaders offered praise for Trump. Liberian President Joseph Boakai said his country supported Trump's economic diplomacy, noting: "Liberia is a long-time friend of the United States... and we also go a long way with you in your diplomacy that has to do with economic development and commercial friendship."
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal said: "You can only do business when there is peace and security, and you build peace everywhere in the world," in reference to recent US diplomatic efforts, including in the Middle East and Central Africa.
Security issues, particularly drug trafficking and instability in the Sahel, also featured in the discussions. Guinea-Bissau, a known transit point for cocaine shipments to Europe, remains a US concern.
Meanwhile, reports last month indicated that Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal are among 36 nations being reviewed for potential US travel restrictions, a policy under consideration by the Trump administration.
The US is also looking to reduce dependency on rival suppliers. China currently receives 22% of its manganese used in batteries from Gabon, while Russia has increased support for the Alliance of Sahel States.
As part of the economic pivot, Trump reiterated his administration's stance: "We're moving away from charity and toward real partnerships."
While critics warn the policy shift could undercut critical health and development gains, supporters argue it reflects a pragmatic approach to advancing US commercial and strategic interests across the African continent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
ICE may deport migrants to countries other than their own with just six hours notice, memo says
FILE PHOTO: The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Hawthorne, California, U.S., March 1, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo BOSTON (Reuters) -U.S. immigration officials may deport migrants to countries other than their home nations with as little as six hours' notice, a top Trump administration official said in a memo, offering a preview of how deportations could ramp up. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will generally wait at least 24 hours to deport someone after informing them of their removal to a so-called "third country," according to a memo dated Wednesday, July 9, from the agency's acting director, Todd Lyons. ICE could remove them, however, to a so-called "third country" with as little as six hours' notice "in exigent circumstances," said the memo, as long as the person has been provided the chance to speak with an attorney. The memo states that migrants could be sent to nations that have pledged not to persecute or torture them "without the need for further procedures." The new ICE policy suggests President Donald Trump's administration could move quickly to send migrants to countries around the world. The Supreme Court in June lifted a lower court's order limiting such deportations without a screening for fear of persecution in the destination country. Following the high court's ruling and a subsequent order from the justices, the Trump administration sent eight migrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan and Vietnam to South Sudan. The administration last week pressed officials from five African nations - Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon - to accept deportees from elsewhere, Reuters reported. The Washington Post first reported the new ICE memo. The administration argues the third country deportations help swiftly remove migrants who should not be in the U.S., including those with criminal convictions. Advocates have criticized the deportations as dangerous and cruel, since people could be sent to countries where they could face violence, have no ties and do not speak the language. Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit against such rapid third-county deportations at the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said the policy "falls far short of providing the statutory and due process protections that the law requires." Third-country deportations have been done in the past, but the tool could be more frequently used as Trump tries to ramp up deportations to record levels. During Trump's 2017-2021 presidency, his administration deported small numbers of people from El Salvador and Honduras to Guatemala. Former President Joe Biden's Democratic administration struck a deal with Mexico to take thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, since it was difficult to deport migrants to those nations. The new ICE memo was filed as evidence in a lawsuit over the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Diane Craft)
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
US Senate report faults Secret Service discipline after Trump shooting
FILE PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by the Secret Service after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo (Reuters) -A U.S. Senate report released on Sunday said a "cascade" of failures allowed a gunman to shoot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year and faulted Secret Service discipline including the lack of firings in the wake of the attack. The report, released a year after a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear, accused the Secret Service of a pattern of negligence and communications breakdowns in planning and execution of the rally. "This was not a single error. It was a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life," the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report said. The Secret Service is charged with protecting current and former presidents and their families, as well visiting foreign leaders and some other senior officials. One attendee of the July 13, 2014, rally was killed and two others were injured in the shooting. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was subsequently shot to death by Secret Service agents. "This was not a single lapse in judgment. It was a complete breakdown of security at every level — fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats," the committee's Republican chairman, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, said in a statement. Kimberly Cheatle resigned as the director of the Secret Service 10 days after the shooting, amid harsh scrutiny of the agency's role, and six Secret Service agents on duty during the attempt received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days, the agency said on Thursday. The committee said more than six officials should have been punished, and that two of those who were disciplined received lighter punishments than it had recommended. It highlighted the fact that no one was fired. Current Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement that the agency has received the report and will continue to cooperate with the committee. "Following the events of July 13, the Secret Service took a serious look at our operations and implemented substantive reforms to address the failures that occurred that day," Curran said. (Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Scott Malone and Chizu Nomiyama )
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Prabowo in Brussels to seal European Union deal amid US tariff threat
JAKARTA: With trade tensions between the United States and its partners on the rise, President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Brussels over the weekend in a bid to finalise Indonesia's most ambitious trade pact yet, the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA). The trip follows the completion of substantive negotiations between Jakarta and Brussels, with both sides now preparing to sign the deal in Jakarta later this year. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, speaking from Brussels, said that 'all issues have now been resolved' and called the deal 'a milestone' that could reshape Indonesia's trade orientation in an increasingly uncertain global environment. 'This is certainly a milestone amid the uncertainty between Indonesia and the EU. Our products can now enter Europe at zero tariffs,' Airlangga told reporters in a video interview issued in Jakarta on Sunday (July 13). He added that the agreement's final signing is expected in the third quarter of 2025, pending a formal announcement from the President. The IEU-CEPA spans 21 areas of cooperation, including trade in goods and services, investment, customs procedures, digital trade and sustainable growth. Key sectors like textiles, garments and fishery products are expected to benefit from reduced barriers. Prabowo's visit to Brussels officially begins on Sunday, and includes scheduled meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, as well as King Philippe of Belgium. Airlangga emphasised that 'shifting global geopolitics', a likely reference to Washington's protectionist tariff hikes, has made Europe a more attractive alternative for Indonesian exports. He also pointed to Indonesia's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as one reason why Brussels now views Jakarta as a 'like-minded' and strategic partner. Trade Minister Budi Santoso, also in Brussels, echoed that sentiment, saying that Indonesia had gained leverage during the final stretch of negotiations. 'When IEU-CEPA neared completion, the EU started to soften on things like the deforestation regulation,' he said. 'They too want to work with us going forward.' The visit of the high-level Indonesian delegation comes just weeks after the EU reclassified Indonesia as a 'standard-risk' country under its deforestation regulation (EUDR), which had long been a sticking point for EU-bound palm oil shipments from Indonesia, the world's largest producer and exporter of the commodity. Budi also noted that Europe presents a more sizable and potentially stable market amid growing uncertainty. 'EU imports are about US$6.6 trillion globally, compared to around $3.3 trillion for the US. If we can grow our exports to the EU, that's a strong alternative market for us,' he said in a separate video interview. The EU is currently Indonesia's fifth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $30.1 billion in 2024. The CEPA deal, once ratified, is expected to boost Indonesian exports to the EU by up to 50 percent due to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers and attract more investment in key sectors such as electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy and palm oil processing. While full ratification may not occur before 2027, Indonesian businesses are already aligning with EU partners to prepare supply chains ahead of its entry into force. 'After Indonesia, countries like Malaysia and Thailand are lining up. We are now the front-runner in forging deeper cooperation [with Europe],' Airlangga said. The US tariff threats, pegged between 20-40 percent for countries in Southeast Asia, have prompted Asean economies to diversify trade partners and bolster their domestic supply chains. Of Asean's current 10 member states, only Vietnam has signed a deal with the US to mitigate the tariff threat. In an attempt to appease the region, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio argued last week that 'many of the countries in Southeast Asia are going to have tariff rates that are actually better than countries in other parts of the world,' news wires reported. In response to a question on the ongoing Indonesia-US negotiations, Airlangga claimed that the US had agreed to a 'pause' on imposing tariffs for the next three weeks to allow for the fine-tuning and completion of the tariff deal. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
