Trump hosts high-profile meeting with leaders from five West, Central African nations

(MENAFN) On July 9, 2025, US President Donald Trump hosted a high-profile meeting at the White House with leaders from five West and Central African nations — Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. Presented as a fresh chapter in US-Africa relations, the summit focused on trade, investment, democracy, and development. While it appeared to promote a shift from aid-based partnerships to so-called “win-win” economic cooperation, critics argue it reflects a familiar pattern: neo-imperialism repackaged for modern times.

A closer look reveals troubling signs. The chosen African leaders were selected not as representatives of the continent or any regional consensus but for their willingness to align with US interests. Revolutionary governments in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea were notably excluded, as were the African Union and ECOWAS. Rather than genuine diplomacy, the gathering seemed aimed at weakening African unity and rewarding compliance, isolating sovereign-minded nations in the Sahel.

Trump used the meeting to highlight his shift from traditional aid to trade and private sector investment, aligning with his broader dismantling of USAID and slashing of foreign assistance programs. Though framed as promoting efficiency and self-reliance, the impact tells a different story. For example, Liberia is set to lose aid equivalent to more than 2.5% of its GDP. A Lancet study warns that global aid cuts could lead to 14 million deaths by 2030 due to worsening conditions in health, nutrition, and infrastructure. Beneath the rhetoric of aid fatigue lies a harsher reality: austerity and the prioritization of corporate interests over human lives.

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