In Luanda, Angola, President Biden is promoting U.S. investment and visiting a slavery museum to acknowledge the historical transatlantic slave trade linking the two nations.
A key focus is a $3 billion U.S. commitment to the Lobito Corridor railway project, connecting Angola, Zambia, and Congo, facilitating raw material transport and export. This initiative also involves funding from the European Union, the G7, a Western private consortium, and African banks.
The project aims to strengthen the U.S. presence in a region rich in minerals crucial for batteries, electronics, and clean energy technologies, while countering China’s significant investments in African mining.
The U.S. has long engaged with Africa through trade, diplomacy, and humanitarian aid. The Lobito Corridor railway upgrade represents a distinct approach, mirroring China’s infrastructure investments globally.
President Biden will visit the Lobito port terminal, the Atlantic Ocean outlet for the corridor, on Wednesday.
White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby stated that the Biden administration has significantly improved U.S.-Africa relations and that while the corridor’s completion will take years, substantial progress has already been made.
Much of the project’s implementation may fall to President-elect Trump. Regarding potential continued support under a Trump administration, Kirby expressed hope that the incoming administration would recognize the project’s value and its contribution to a more secure and prosperous Africa.
Kirby emphasized that the corridor initiative transcends geopolitical competition with Beijing. He stated that the U.S. isn’t asking countries to choose sides but seeks reliable, sustainable investments beneficial to the people of Angola and the continent, contrasting them with unreliable investments leading to debt burdens.
The last U.S. president to visit sub-Saharan Africa was Barack Obama in 2015. Biden attended a UN climate summit in Egypt in 2022.
Biden had planned this trip after the U.S.-Africa Summit in December 2022, but delays occurred due to Hurricane Milton, highlighting perceptions of inconsistent U.S. commitment among some Africans.
On Tuesday, Biden participated in an official arrival ceremony and met with Angolan President Joao Lourenco, following Lourenco’s visit to the Oval Office last November.
Biden also met with African business leaders, community leaders, and members of Congress, including Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Rep. Sara Jacobs, before visiting Angola’s National Slavery Museum, formerly the site of a 17th-century temple where slaves were baptized before their transatlantic passage.
Kirby said Biden will deliver a speech acknowledging the horrific history of slavery connecting the U.S. and Angola, while looking towards a future of shared prosperity.
Upon arriving in Luanda on Monday, Biden briefly met with Wanda Tucker, a descendant of William Tucker, the first enslaved child born in the United States. William Tucker’s parents were brought to Virginia from Angola in 1619.
Biden also met with business leaders, African community leaders, and members of Congress, including Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Rep. Sara Jacobs.