(4 Minutes Read)
President Joe Biden started his Angola visit to be greeted by thousands of people during his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Cabo Verde was Biden’s first port of call and had a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva.
It may be recalled that Biden did attend a United Nations climate summit in Egypt in North Africa in 2022. The last U.S. president to visit sub-Saharan Africa was Barack Obama in 2015.
In Angola, Biden will meet Angolan President João Lourenço, visit the National Slavery Museum, and travel to the port city of Lobito to look at the rail project. Analysts say not much should be read into this visit since there will be a US administration change in the coming January. Republican Donald Trump is preparing to take office on January 20 and the world is speculating his approach towards Africa. In his earlier term as President, Trump’s focus on Africa was lacklustre. He even spoke for the rights of white farmers in certain countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe creating consternation among those countries’ administrations.
But this time around, analysts say, Trump may follow a positively focused Africa-centric policy. Cutthroat competition between China and the West, particularly the US, can be a deciding factor. Critical minerals are a key field for U.S.-China competition. China has a stronghold on Africa’s critical minerals.
To counter that, the US under Biden’s initiative, has launched the 800-mile (1,300-kilometer) Lobito Corridor railway upgrade. Many feel that it is a response to China’s Belt and Road foreign infrastructure strategy that has surged ahead. The Biden administration has called the corridor one of the president’s signature initiatives.
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A Western consortium won the bid for the Lobito project in 2022 ahead of Chinese competition, despite Angola’s strong ties with China. China financed a previous redevelopment of the railway.
