President Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria was left out of a meeting and lunch that former U.S. President Donald Trump will be holding with five African presidents. The meeting is meant to talk about business opportunities that can help both Americans and Africans.
A White House official said on Wednesday that Trump invited the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. The meeting is planned for July 9 at the White House and will focus on building stronger ties between America and Africa, especially in terms of trade and investment.
According to Reuters, the discussion will look at how the U.S. can improve its relationship with African countries through business opportunities. The official said Trump believes African nations have a lot to offer when it comes to trade that helps both sides.
It’s not clear why President Tinubu was not invited. Since Trump took office in January, he has not made any public efforts to work with Nigeria on trade or other matters.
However, back in April, Tinubu met in Paris with Massad Boulos, a senior adviser from Trump’s team who focuses on African affairs. Reports say they talked about creating strong economic and security ties between Nigeria and the U.S., based on mutual respect, shared success, and peace in the region.
Recently, Trump decided to stop sending foreign aid to Africa. He said the reason was to reduce government spending, which fits into his “America First” plan.
Also in June, Trump said he wants to ban visa access for people from 36 African countries, including Nigeria. He said these countries have 60 days to meet new conditions set by the U.S. State Department or face the visa ban.





