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During his final overseas trip as president, Biden will visit Angola to explore the country’s history and economic potential. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that is part of his administration’s regional strategy.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a journalist who reports on the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One to Angola.
President Biden will start his long-awaited journey to Africa on Sunday night by heading to Angola. The purpose of this visit is to recognize the difficult history between the United States and Angola, while also pledging to focus on boosting economic development in the future.
President Biden’s visit to Africa is the inaugural visit by a sitting American president, following Barack Obama’s trip to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
This trip is probably the final one for Mr. Biden outside the US during his presidency. He promised in 2022 to visit Africa to show the US’s commitment to the continent’s future. Despite some postponements, Mr. Biden is now on a three-day diplomatic visit to Angola. During his visit, he will tour a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that showcases his administration’s economic approach in the region.
A project called the Lobito Corridor, with a budget of $1 billion, aims to connect Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries are abundant in important minerals needed for phone batteries and electric vehicles. President Biden is promoting this project to increase American access to these resources in Africa and counter China’s rising influence on the continent.
Foreign policy experts believe that, despite the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen relationships, the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of economic and security influence in Africa.
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 by the Trump administration, stated that post-colonial Africa has been neglected since disengagement. He criticized administrations for creating ambitious African strategies without tangible results, likening it to the phrase "Where is the beef?" from an old advertisement.
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