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During his final overseas trip in office, President Biden will visit Angola with a focus on history and economic opportunities. 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 is a journalist who reports on the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One to Angola.
On Sunday night, President Biden will start his much anticipated trip to Africa by traveling to Angola. The visit is intended to address the difficult history between the two countries and to show a commitment to future economic investment.
The upcoming visit to Africa by Mr. Biden will be the first time an American president has visited the continent since Barack Obama’s trip to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
Mr. Biden’s visit to Africa is likely his final trip abroad before leaving office. He promised in 2022 to visit the continent to show that the United States is fully committed to Africa’s future. After several delays, Mr. Biden is now on a three-day diplomatic tour of 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 an estimated cost of $1 billion, aims to connect Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries are abundant in essential minerals needed for smartphone and electric vehicle batteries. President Biden is promoting this project to strengthen American access to these resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing presence on the continent.
Even though the Biden administration has made efforts to improve relations, the United States is still falling behind China and Russia in terms of 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 as assistant secretary of state for African affairs by the Trump administration, expressed that since disengaging with post-colonial Africa, it has not been a top priority. He mentioned that some administrations have ambitious African strategies but lack substance, similar to the phrase "Where is the beef?" from an old advertisement.
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