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During his final overseas trip in office, President Biden will visit Angola to explore its history and economic potential. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that aligns with his administration’s goals in the region.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports on news from the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One for a trip to Angola.
President Biden will start his planned trip to Africa on Sunday evening by going to Angola to visit and recognize the difficult history between the two countries, while also promising to focus on economic development for the future.
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.
This trip to Africa is probably the final one for Mr. Biden before he leaves office. He promised to visit the continent in 2022 to show the United States’ commitment to Africa’s future. Despite some setbacks, Mr. Biden is now on a three-day diplomatic visit to Angola. During his visit, he plans to tour a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that showcases his administration’s economic approach in the region.
A project worth $1 billion called the Lobito Corridor is being developed to connect Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries are abundant in critical minerals necessary for making batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is promoting this project to increase American access to these vital resources in Africa and to counter China’s rising influence on the continent.
Even though the Biden administration has made efforts to establish positive relationships, 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.
Tibor P. Nagy Jr., who has experience serving as an ambassador in Africa under President Bill Clinton and as assistant secretary of state for African affairs under the Trump administration, stated that Africa has been neglected as a priority since the end of colonialism. He criticized administrations for creating ambitious strategies for Africa without actually following through with concrete actions. Nagy compared this lack of substance to a famous advertisement asking, "Where is the beef?"
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