President Trump has surprised African officials and observers with his recent focus on the continent, where the U.S. has lagged behind China, Russia and Middle Eastern countries in building economic ties.

Trump’s hosting of five West African leaders at the White House last week provided an enormous platform for attention.

African officials and analysts are hoping this engagement can mitigate some of the administration’s most destructive policies: massive foreign aid cuts, forcing out government expert staff, and stoking tensions with travel bans and tariffs.

“It was an interesting first step, pretty unexpected, and I hope they will be able, on both sides, to build something significant from there,” said Rama Yade, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Africa Center.

“It's the last opportunity for the United States to catch up because on the African soil, there is huge competition.”

The convening of the five-country mini-summit — with leaders from Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal and Gabon — served as another boon for Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser for African affairs and father-in-law to the president’s daughter Tiffany.

It was the second time in two weeks that Boulos was in the White House next to the president.

The week earlier he presided over a peace agreement signing between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Days before the signing, Boulos was the most senior U.S. official at the U.S. Africa Business Summit in Angola, touting $2.5 billion in deals and commitments signed at the conference.

Even if the administration’s policies are somewhat haphazard, Africa watchers are pleasantly surprised at the attention being paid to the continent.

“I do believe that there is some mixed messaging that is coming from the administration that could undercut some of the stated aims of the administration, to grow the partnership, to continue that trajectory of collaboration,” said Kendra Gaither, president of the........

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