Trump Welcomes West African Leaders Amid Broad US Aid Reductions

U.S. President Donald Trump is welcoming five West African leaders to the White House on Wednesday for a “multilateral lunch” as the area deals with the effects of significant U.S. aid reductions.

The unexpected gathering with leaders from Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania, and Guinea-Bissau happens as the Trump administration implements drastic measures aimed at altering the U.S. ties with Africa.

A statement from Liberia’s presidency indicates that the leaders will discuss crucial subjects of cooperation, such as economic development, security, infrastructure, and democracy.

The White House said “this discussion and lunch dialogue with African heads of state was arranged because President Trump believes that African countries offer incredible commercial opportunities which benefit both the American people and our African partners.”

Earlier this month, U.S. authorities dissolved theU.S. Agency for International Development and said it was no longer following what they called “a charity-based foreign aid model” and instead will focus on partnerships with nations that show “both the ability and willingness to help themselves.”

The U.S. African Affairs senior bureau official Troy Fitrell earlier this year said the Trump administration wants to focus on eliminating trade deficits with Africa.

“Assistance involves a donor and a recipient, but commerce is an exchange between equals,” he said.

Critics say the abrupt shift will result in millions of deaths.

A study published in the Lancet medical journal late last month projected that USAID’s dismantling and deep funding cuts would lead to more than 14 million additional deaths globally by 2030, including 4.5 million children.

West African countries are among the hardest hit by the dissolution of USAID. The U.S. support in Liberia amounted to 2.6% of the country’s gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development.

The five nations whose leaders are meeting Trump represent a small fraction of U.S.-Africa trade, but they possess untapped natural resources. Senegal and Mauritania are important transit and origin countries when it comes to migration, and along with Guinea-Bissau are struggling to contain drug trafficking, both issues of concern for the Trump administration.

Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in a statement “expressed optimism about the outcomes of the summit, reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to regional stability, democratic governance and inclusive economic growth.”

Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal are among 36 countries which might be included in the possible expansion of Trump’s travel ban.