During his first term, Donald Trump significantly redefined United States policy to counteract China, identifying it as the primary challenger to American global dominance.
The Trump administration elevated the reduction of reliance on Chinese rare earth minerals to an absolute strategic imperative. To spearhead this initiative, the administration is heavily backing GreenMet.
Founded by CEO Drew Horn, a former national security official under Trump and a senior advisor to the Director of National Intelligence, Horn recently visited Yaoundé for a meeting that largely went unnoticed. He represents the public face of an American program whose key associates include former close collaborators and trusted figures of Donald Trump, such as Georges Sorial, his former legal counsel, and Keith Schiller, the ex-Director of Security for the Trump Organization.
Central to this American strategy, championed by Drew Horn and GreenMet, a high-level US delegation visited Cameroon to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoU). While the specific details of these agreements remain undisclosed by the American group, we understand that American Renaissance Minerals (ARM), a company directly affiliated with GreenMet, has secured a leading position in the Nkamouna nickel and cobalt project. Furthermore, Washington’s strategic interests also encompass Cameroon’s rare earth deposits.
Donald Trump’s commitment to his objectives in Cameroon is so profound that he has bypassed existing congressional restrictions that excluded Cameroon from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The American president is now leveraging the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Cameroon to facilitate trade agreements.
In contrast to China’s extensive presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo concerning strategic minerals, the United States — which aims to invest in mineral processing to reduce its carbon footprint — has tied its support to the Cameroonian government to enhanced transparency in both extractive and legal sectors.
American intelligence services reportedly intervened following revelations by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (ITIE) regarding illicit gold trafficking. Consequently, Washington is now collaborating with Yaoundé to identify and prosecute those involved in this illicit trade.
The United States’ engagement extends beyond economics. American diplomacy has significantly reduced the number of African nations eligible to issue US visas, with Cameroon being one of the 20 countries retained out of 50 across the continent. On the security front, within an eight-month span, President Paul Biya hosted General Dagvin Anderson, then commander of AFRICOM, in September 2025, followed by Lieutenant General John William Brennan Jr., AFRICOM’s Deputy Commander, in May 2026, in Yaoundé.
Improving the business climate remains a top priority for Washington. Christopher Lamora stated earlier this year, following a private meeting with President Paul Biya, “I sincerely wish to see more American companies invest in Cameroon, foster commercial relationships, and forge partnerships, including joint ventures between American and Cameroonian entities. This is mutually beneficial: it creates jobs in the United States, supports American industry – a priority for President Trump – and also stimulates the Cameroonian economy.“
Washington is determined to meet the challenge posed by China, which has invested over $700 billion across 49 African nations.
Some analysts observing Trump’s policy interpret his strategy as an ambition to transform target countries like Cameroon, Nigeria, and Kenya, mirroring the economic success of the “Asian Dragons” (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore) in their time.
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