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During his final overseas trip as president, Biden will visit Angola to focus on the country’s historical significance 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 is scheduled to accompany President Biden on Air Force One for a trip to Angola.
On Sunday night, President Biden will start his anticipated trip to Africa by visiting Angola. The purpose of the visit is to recognize the difficult history shared between the two countries and to pledge to a future of financial support and investment.
President Biden’s visit to Africa is the initial one made by a US president since Barack Obama journeyed to Kenya and Ethiopia back in 2015.
This trip is expected to be President Biden’s final visit to another country before he leaves office. He made a promise in 2022 to visit Africa to show the United States’ commitment to the continent’s future. Despite some setbacks, President Biden is now embarking on a three-day diplomatic visit to Angola. During his time there, he will tour a slavery museum and showcase a rail corridor that his team sees as a key part of his administration’s economic plan for 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 have valuable minerals needed for making batteries in smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is emphasizing this project to strengthen American access to these important resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing influence on the continent.
Foreign policy experts believe that, despite the Biden administration’s efforts to appeal to Africa, the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of competing for economic and security influence in the region.
According to 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 by the Trump administration, the focus on Africa has been neglected since the post-colonial era. He criticized administrations for creating ambitious African strategies that lack substance, comparing it to a slogan without any real substance.
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