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Cape Town — Social media was yesterday poking fun at President Donald Trump after he twice referred to the southern African country of Namibia as “Nambia”.

Speaking to African leaders at a lunch on Wednesday amid the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump hailed Africa’s business potential, apparently singling out the non-existent country of “Nambia”.

First Trump said: “. . . I’m greatly honoured to host this lunch to be joined by the leaders of Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Nambia…”

He then went on to say: “Nambia’s health system is increasingly self-sufficient,” thus setting social media abuzz.

Meanwhile, Trump hailed Africa’s business potential on Wednesday, telling several leaders of African nations he has many friends going there to “get rich.”

At a lunch with the leaders amid the UN General Assembly, Trump mused about the vast continent’s opportunities and challenges. “Africa has tremendous business potential,” he said. “I have so many friends going to your countries, trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They’re spending a lot of money,” he said.

“For American firms it’s really become a place that they have to go – that they want to go.”

Trump announced that he was dispatching US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley to Africa “to discuss avenues of conflict and resolution and, most importantly, prevention”.

South Africa’s Jacob Zuma and Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari were among the leaders at the lunch.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s foreign minister brushed aside Trump’s fiery threat to destroy his nation, comparing it to a “dog’s bark” and suggesting Pyongyang would not be deterred by the rhetoric.

Trump used his stormy maiden address at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to warn the North that Washington would “totally destroy” it if the US or its allies were attacked.

Arriving in New York for the UN meetings on Wednesday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho was mobbed with questions from reporters about the Trump speech and replied with a proverb.

“There is a saying that marching goes on even when dogs bark,” he said as he entered his hotel. “If they are trying to shock us with the sound of a dog’s bark they are clearly having a dog dream.”

Isolated and impoverished, North Korea says it needs a sturdy nuclear deterrence to protect it from an aggressive US, and the autocratic regime has made militarism a central part of its national ideology.

Pyongyang’s stated aim is to be able to target the US mainland and the nation has flaunted the advances in its weapons programme in recent weeks, with the September test of what it said was a miniaturised hydrogen bomb capable of being loaded onto a rocket.

The increasingly brazen provocations have frayed the patience of the US and its allies.

Trump dubbed the North’s leader Kim Jong-un “rocket man” and said he was on a “suicide mission”.

When asked by reporters what he thought of Trump calling the North Korean leader “rocket man”, Ri quipped: “I feel sorry for his aides.”

Ri is slated to make a UN speech today.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the UN that dialogue with the North would not work.

The comments are likely to dismay China — the North’s only major ally and trading partner — which has consistently called for a resumption of talks.

Observers say despite the tough rhetoric, any military response to the crisis would risk a devastating conflict that would imperil millions.

The North has fortified its southern frontier with a hefty arsenal of artillery that has South Korea’s capital, Seoul, just 55km away, in its sights. Japan is also within range of missile strikes. — AFP