Biden Arrives in Angola, Marking His 1st Visit to Africa

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The president will highlight his signature initiative known as the Lobito Corridor project, a rail line investment project that began last year.

LUANDA, Angola—President Joe Biden arrived in Angola on Dec. 2, in what is likely to be the last foreign trip of his presidency as he seeks to bolster ties with African countries amid the growing influence of China and Russia on the continent.

Biden will begin his two-day meetings on Dec. 3 with an official arrival ceremony in Angola’s capital, Luanda. Later, he will participate in a bilateral meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço.

Biden will later deliver remarks at the National Museum of Slavery.

On Dec. 4, the president will travel to Lobito, a port city in western Angola. He will tour the Lobito port terminal, visit a food processing factory, and participate in the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa summit.

While there, Biden is expected to highlight his key infrastructure initiative known as the Lobito Corridor project, a rail line investment project that began last year with U.S. support.

The rail line investment project traverses Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia. It connects Angola’s Lobito port to the mineral-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia’s Copperbelt. It’s considered a major effort by Washington to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as “One Belt, One Road,” in Africa.

The project focuses on refurbishing and constructing rail but also invests in road, water, and digital infrastructure.

A senior administration official told reporters on Nov. 29 that the U.S. investments provide an alternative to Chinese investments, which are often associated with “low standards, child labor, and corruption.”

While China has a significant economic and military footprint in Africa, Washington also faces competition from Russia. In recent years, Moscow has deployed thousands of troops from its Africa Corps, formerly the Wagner Group, to several African countries. While increasing its military footprint in countries such as Mali, Libya, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Russia also gained access to strategically important natural resources in these countries.

Biden’s trip is the first visit to Africa by a U.S. president in nearly a decade. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama made multiple trips to the continent during their presidencies, while President-elect Donald Trump did not travel there during his first term.

Biden’s trip is also the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited Angola.

Ahead of his trip to Africa, Biden announced that he would grant his son, Hunter Biden, “a full and unconditional pardon.”

The decision represented a reversal for Biden, who is set to leave office on Jan. 20, 2025, after having previously pledged not to use his presidential powers for the benefit of his family.

Before arriving in Angola, Biden made a stop in Cabo Verde, an island nation located off the west coast of Africa. While there, he met with Cabo Verde’s prime minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva.

“Cabo Verde is a model of stable democratic governance and, according to Freedom House rankings, is the freest country in all of Africa. Cabo Verde has been a consistent partner of the United States on global health, security, and other issues, and has also regularly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.

Biden’s only stops in Africa are Angola and Cabo Verde. After his visit to Lobito on Dec. 4, he will travel back to Washington.