Joe Biden has embarked on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as U.S. president, amidst speculation about the future of U.S.-Africa relations, with Donald Trump preparing to assume office in January. Biden’s visit to Angola, a country rich in oil and minerals, emphasizes U.S. interest in fostering trade and infrastructure investments, a move some analysts see as a challenge to China’s growing influence on the continent.
Edmilson Angelo, an Angolan analyst, described the relationship between Angola and the U.S. as “a perfect marriage of convenience” during his comments to the BBC.
Biden’s trip marks the first visit by a U.S. president to Angola, reflecting an improvement in ties between the two nations. Historically aligned with China and Russia, Angola, under President João Lourenço’s leadership since 2017, has shifted towards non-alignment and pragmatic diplomacy. Alex Vines of Chatham House highlighted that Angola’s foreign policy under Lourenço has embraced “pragmatic multipolarity.”
A cornerstone of Biden’s African agenda is the Lobito Corridor, a 1,344-kilometer railway project linking the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, and Angola to facilitate the transport of minerals like cobalt, lithium, and copper. This infrastructure will connect Africa’s resource-rich regions with markets in Europe and the U.S. The Lobito Corridor Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) described the U.S. involvement as “the first alternative from Washington DC to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.”