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During his final overseas trip in office, President Biden will visit Angola to focus on exploring the country’s history and economic potential. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that is part of his administration’s regional strategy.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports on the activities at the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One for a trip to Angola.
President Biden will embark on a trip to Africa starting on Sunday evening, starting with a visit to Angola. The purpose of the visit is to address the historical challenges and difficulties faced by both nations, while also highlighting a commitment to future economic partnerships and investments.
The upcoming visit by President Biden to Africa will mark the first time an American president has visited the continent since Barack Obama’s trip to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
This trip is probably the final one for Mr. Biden as president to another country, after he promised in 2022 to visit Africa to show the United States’ commitment to the continent’s future. Despite some postponements, Mr. Biden is now embarking on a three-day diplomatic visit to 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 plan for the region.
A project called the Lobito Corridor, with a budget of $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 emphasizing this project to strengthen American access to these crucial resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing presence and influence on the continent.
Even though the Biden administration has been making friendly appeals, the United States is still not as competitive as China and Russia when it comes to economic and security influence in Africa, as stated by experts in foreign policy.
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 under the Trump administration, mentioned that post-colonial Africa has been neglected as a priority. Some administrations have ambitious African strategies, but lack concrete action and results. It’s like the old saying: they talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.
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