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During his final overseas trip as president, Joe Biden will visit Angola to focus on both historical and economic aspects. He plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail corridor that aligns with his administration’s regional strategy.
Written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a journalist who reports on the activities at the White House and will be accompanying President Biden on Air Force One for a trip to Angola.
On Sunday night, President Biden will start his long-awaited trip to Africa by traveling to Angola. The purpose of this visit is to recognize the difficult history between the two countries and to pledge to focus on economic growth and investment in the future.
President Biden’s visit to Africa is the initial one made by a U.S. president since Barack Obama’s journey to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
Mr. Biden is visiting Africa on what is expected to be his final overseas trip as President, following his promise in 2022 to show support for the continent’s future. Despite some setbacks, he is now embarking on a three-day diplomatic visit to Angola, where he plans to visit a slavery museum and highlight a rail project that showcases his administration’s economic focus in the region.
A project named the Lobito Corridor is in progress, with an estimated cost of $1 billion. This project aims to connect Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, countries that possess valuable minerals necessary for producing batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles. President Biden is emphasizing this project as a way to strengthen American access to these crucial resources in Africa and to counter China’s increasing presence and influence on the continent.
Although the Biden administration is making efforts to build relationships, 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.
According to Tibor P. Nagy Jr., who has served as an ambassador in Africa under both President Bill Clinton and the Trump administration, the United States has not made Africa a top priority since the colonial era. Nagy criticized administrations for creating ambitious African strategies that lack real substance, comparing it to a famous advertisement slogan questioning the actual substance or results.
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