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During one of his final overseas trips as president, Biden will visit Angola to explore the country’s history and economic opportunities. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that is important to his administration’s regional strategy.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a reporter who focuses on the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One for his trip to Angola.
President Biden is scheduled to start his trip to Africa on Sunday night by visiting Angola. The purpose of the visit is to recognize the difficult history shared between the two countries and to pledge to focus on economic development moving forward.
President Biden’s visit to Africa marks the first time an American president has traveled to the continent since Barack Obama’s trip to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
Mr. Biden’s visit to Angola is expected to be his final trip abroad while he is still in office. He made a promise in 2022 to visit Africa to show the United States’ commitment to the continent’s future. Despite some delays, he is now embarking on a three-day diplomatic tour of Angola. During his visit, he will tour a slavery museum and draw attention to a rail corridor that showcases his administration’s economic approach in the region.
A large project called the Lobito Corridor, costing $1 billion, aims to connect Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries are known for their abundant critical minerals used in making batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is promoting this project to strengthen American access to these important resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing presence on the continent.
Even though the Biden administration has made efforts to strengthen relationships, the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of economic and security influence in Africa, as noted by experts in foreign policy.
Tibor P. Nagy Jr., a former ambassador to Africa appointed by President Bill Clinton and the Trump administration, stated that since disengaging with post-colonial Africa, it has been a low priority for the United States. He criticized administrations for creating ambitious African strategies that lack substance, comparing it to the old advertisement asking "Where is the beef?"
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