Biden’s trip to Angola to focus on investment, partnership amid changing geopolitics

Only weeks before stepping down from the political stage, US president Joe Biden will visit Angola from 2-4 December in what will be his first trip to the African continent during his presidency.
It’s not by chance that Angola was chosen to be among the US leader’s final international engagements before leaving office — “this landmark visit makes good on president Biden’s commitment to visiting Africa and deepening US-Africa relations, a promise that has been seen as falling short of being fully implemented by many who believe he has prioritized other global events at the expense of Africa,” the Washington-based CSIS said in a new webcast. The US president will face a packed agenda during his visit in the central African country, with military, political and economic agreements set to be signed, signaling strengthened ties between both countries.
“This trip is the result of years of diplomatic efforts from Angola’s president,” Angolan political analyst Claudio Silva says. But Biden’s upcoming visit is also driven by broader geopolitical and economic considerations. Angola hosts a number of significant current and future projects with US involvement, which include the development of an oil refinery in Soyo in the country’s north. According to a top White House official, Biden’s short visit will center around the Lobito Corridor, a 1,300-kilometer rail line that brings resources from the continent’s rich interior to Angola’s busiest port. “And this is really signaling how under President Biden’s administration, we’ve gone from an aid-driven model on engagement with Africa to an investment-driven model,” Frances Brown, senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council, said in reference to a new US policy which many see as being a reaction to China’s famed Belt and Road infrastructure program.