By Emmanuel Abi Couson
Barely 48 hours after United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the stoppage of funding USAID as a charity-based foreign aid model in favour to nations that demonstrate “both the ability and willingness to help themselves, President Tinubu is not among leaders from five African nations invited to Washington next week when the commercial opportunities will be discussed.
President Donald Trump who is scheduled to host leaders from five African nations in Washington next week to discuss “commercial opportunities,” a White House official said on Wednesday, has not deemed it fit to invite Nigeria.
He will host leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal for a discussion and lunch at the White House on July 9, the official said.
“President Trump believes that African countries offer incredible commercial opportunities which benefit both the American people and our African partners,” the official said, referring to the reasons why the meeting was arranged.
Africa Intelligence and Semafor reported earlier that the Trump administration would hold a summit for the five countries in Washington from July 9-11.
The Trump administration has axed swaths of U.S. foreign aid for Africa as part of a plan to curb spending it considers wasteful and not aligned with Trump’s “America First” policies. It says it wants to focus on trade and investment and to drive mutual prosperity.
Nigeria is amongst the nation with the highest beneficiary of USAID free funding for many years and the stoppage will affect so many sectors of the country economy but the worst is the health sector.
With addition from Reuters
