West Africa wants deals with Trump but US entry bans a barrier, says Nigerian minister
West African nations want to strike deals with the US over energy and rare earth minerals, but the Trump administration's looming expansion of travel bans risks derailing those efforts, Nigeria's foreign minister Yussuf Tuggar said on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump this month implemented full or partial travel bans for foreign nationals from a dozen countries as part of his immigration crackdown. A possible broadening of the restrictions to an additional 36 countries would include nearly all of West Africa.
"This would be most unfortunate if it comes to pass, because we are a region of opportunities ready to do deals," said Tuggar, who currently chairs regional bloc Ecowas 's council of foreign ministers.
President Trump has upended longstanding trade relations since returning to the White House, using erratic tariff threats and aggressive tactics in a bid to secure better deals from trading partners.
As part of an agreement with Beijing, for example, Trump said China will supply the US with magnets and rare-earth minerals critical to the auto and battery industries in exchange for Chinese students' continued access to US universities.
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Next Stay Close ✕ He expressed hope that his move would open the door to a more lasting peace, where Iran no longer had the potential to become a nuclear power. The Israel prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed the strikes and congratulated Trump, saying his bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with 'the awesome and righteous might of the US will change history'. However, experts said Iran's nuclear programme does not exist. Civil nuclear engineer, Hugo Kruger, a South African who is based in Paris, said this is the propaganda that the US and Israel have pushed to attack Iran. He said it has not been confirmed that Iran has nuclear weapon capabilities, adding that Trump has driven the US into the war based on the information that has never been confirmed, even by the US intelligence agencies. He said this could be another narrative and a lie about another world war. 'Even the agencies did not confirm this, and Donald Trump at the moment, is driving the US into on the basis of information that has never been confirmed. He is spreading this incredible propaganda in the Western countries,' Kruger said. He said the US has the power to act against the nuclear programme and would have suspended it if it had existed. He said the US has legal and procedural frameworks for inspecting nuclear weapons, adding that this could also influence international laws. Kruger said this should be stopped, adding that South Africa and other countries must take a stance. 'This will stop the conflict because Israel will not be able to resist this pressure. They must do it through the United Nations,' he said. International relations expert, Dr Noluthando Phungula, said the conflict is bound to harm the entire world, including South Africa. "Oil prices quickly surged up 7% by Friday afternoon and the attacks prompted an instantaneous reaction on the global markets. 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President Donald Trump described the attacks as successful, a chilling reminder of how easily Western leaders disguise destruction as diplomacy. The US feigned diplomacy and struck in the dark. "The MK Party calls on the international community, especially the African Union, BRICS nations and the Non-Aligned Movement, to reject this new cycle of militarism and unilateral attacks on sovereign nations. As Iran prepares to defend itself, there has to be a reopening of diplomatic channels and full accountability for the lives lost and infrastructure destroyed,' the party said in a statement. President Cyril Ramaphosa also called on the three countries to give the UN an opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity.
