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During what is expected to be his final international trip in office, President Biden will visit Angola to explore the country’s history, with a particular focus on slavery, and to highlight a rail corridor that plays a key role in his administration’s economic strategy for the region.
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 for a trip to Angola.
President Biden will embark on a planned journey to Africa starting Sunday evening as he heads to Angola to recognize the difficult past shared between the two countries and to pledge to a future of economic development through investment.
President Biden’s visit to Africa marks the first time an American president has visited the continent since Barack Obama’s trip 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. After some delays, Mr. Biden is now on a three-day diplomatic tour of Angola. During his visit, he will tour a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that his team sees as a key part of his administration’s 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 are abundant in essential minerals needed for smartphone and electric vehicle batteries. President Biden is promoting this project to strengthen American access to these resources in Africa and to compete with China’s increasing influence in the region.
Even though the Biden administration has made efforts to establish positive relations, experts in foreign policy believe that the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of economic and security influence in Africa.
According to Tibor P. Nagy Jr., who has served as an ambassador in Africa appointed by both President Bill Clinton and the Trump administration, the focus on post-colonial Africa has been lacking since disengagement. Some administrations have ambitious African strategies, but they lack substance. It is similar to the old advertisement asking, "Where is the beef?"
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