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During his final overseas trip in office, President Biden will visit Angola to explore the country’s history and economic potential. He will visit a museum dedicated to slavery 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 for his trip to Angola.
On Sunday night, President Biden will embark on a trip to Africa that he has been planning for a while. His first stop will be Angola, where he plans to address the historical challenges and tensions between the two countries and discuss plans for future economic development and investment.
Joe Biden’s visit to Africa marks the initial trip made by a United States president since Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
It is expected that this trip to Africa will be the final one Mr. Biden makes during his presidency. He had promised to visit the continent in 2022 to show the United States’ commitment to Africa’s future. Despite some setbacks, Mr. Biden is now embarking on a three-day diplomatic visit to Angola. During his time there, he plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that is seen 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 critical minerals needed for making batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is showcasing this project in order to strengthen efforts to increase American access to these important resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing influence on the continent.
Even though the Biden administration has made efforts to establish good relations, experts in foreign policy believe that the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of competing for economic and security influence in Africa.
Tibor P. Nagy Jr., a former ambassador to Africa appointed by both President Clinton and the Trump administration, stated that since disengaging with post-colonial Africa, it has been given little importance. He criticized administrations for creating ambitious African strategies that lack substance, comparing it to a misleading advertisement without any real substance.
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