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During his final overseas trip as president, Biden will visit Angola with a focus on exploring the country’s history and economic prospects. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that plays a significant role in his administration’s regional strategy.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports on the activities at the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One for a trip to Angola.
President Biden is scheduled to start his planned trip to Africa on Sunday evening by visiting Angola. The purpose of this visit is to recognize the difficult and complicated history between the United States and Angola, and to show commitment to a future of economic partnership and investment.
The journey to Africa by Mr. Biden marks the first time an American president has visited the continent since Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
Mr. Biden is making one final trip abroad before his term ends, fulfilling his promise to visit Africa in 2022 to show support for the continent’s future. Despite some setbacks, he is now embarking on a three-day diplomatic visit to Angola. During his time there, he will tour a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that symbolizes his administration’s economic approach in the region.
The Lobito Corridor project, costing $1 billion, aims to connect Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries possess valuable minerals necessary for producing batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is emphasizing this project to strengthen American access to these essential resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing influence in the region.
Even though the Biden administration is making efforts to strengthen relationships, the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of competing for economic and security power in Africa, as stated by experts in foreign policy.
Tibor P. Nagy Jr., who has served as an ambassador in Africa appointed by President Bill Clinton and later as assistant secretary of state for African affairs under the Trump administration, expressed that since disengaging with post-colonial Africa, it has been a low priority. He mentioned that some administrations have created ambitious African strategies that lack substance, similar to the concept of "Where is the beef?" from an old advertisement.
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