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During his final overseas trip in office, President Biden will be visiting Angola to focus on the country’s history and economic potential. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that aligns with his administration’s regional strategy.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports on the activities at the White House and will accompany President Biden on Air Force One for a trip to Angola.
President Biden will start his planned trip to Africa by traveling to Angola on Sunday night. The purpose of the visit is to recognize the difficult history between the two countries and to show a commitment to future economic partnerships.
The visit to Africa by Mr. Biden is the initial one made by a U.S. president since Barack Obama’s journey to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
Mr. Biden’s visit to Africa is expected to be his final trip abroad while in office. He promised in 2022 to visit the continent to show the United States’ commitment to Africa’s future. Despite some delays, Mr. Biden is currently on a three-day diplomatic tour in Angola. During his visit, he will tour a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that his administration sees as a key part of their economic strategy in the region.
A project called the Lobito Corridor, costing $1 billion, aims to connect Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries possess important minerals needed for making batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is promoting this project to strengthen American access to these crucial resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing influence on the continent.
Foreign policy experts believe that even though the Biden administration is making efforts to strengthen relationships with Africa, the United States is still not as successful as China and Russia in gaining economic and security influence in the region.
Tibor P. Nagy Jr., who has served as an ambassador in Africa appointed by President Bill Clinton and as assistant secretary of state for African affairs under the Trump administration, mentioned that since disengaging with post-colonial Africa, it has been a low priority. Some administrations have proposed ambitious African strategies, but often lack substance in implementation. This lack of concrete action is reminiscent of the old advertisement asking, "where is the beef?"
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