First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the latest front in the U.S.-China rivalry, as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to secure critical minerals needed for electric vehicles and clean energy. Backed by billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, U.S. firm KoBold Metals recently secured seven lithium exploration permits, including access to the coveted […]
The US has scaled down its aid to Africa but kept supporting and funding for the Lobito corridor which will give its industry access to rare minerals, key to the energy transition. The Lobito Corridor is a major trans-African infrastructure project designed to connect the mineral-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and […]
The Trump administration has reaffirmed its commitment to the $4 billion Lobito Corridor rail project in Africa, aiming to strengthen United States-Africa economic ties while countering China’s growing influence in the region. The initiative, which connects Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is seen as a vital trade route for transporting minerals […]
US president Joe Biden, on his visit to Angola to promote the $550 million US-backed Lobito Corridor railway project, has pledged another $600 million for a cross-continent rail corridor, telling regional leaders that “Africa has been left behind for much too long. But not anymore. Africa is the future.” Biden used the third and final […]
Outgoing US president Joe Biden arrived in Angola on Monday (2 December) for his long-awaited inaugural presidential visit to the continent and also the first-ever visit by a sitting US head of state to the oil-rich southern African country. On his way to the African continent, Biden stopped in the Atlantic Ocean island nation of […]
The US is planning to counter China’s strategy regarding rare metals in Africa through investing in a rail project connecting copper and cobalt mines in central Africa to Lobito port in Angola. The new route, which could potentially extend to Zambia, offers an alternative route to export rare metals to the Chinese controlled outlets. It […]
With the support from the European Union and the United States, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia hope soon to realize their ambitious plans to shore up their green energy resources — and face up China’s influence. In October 2023, the EU and the US passed a declaration to support efforts to revive […]
As the US top diplomat wrapped up his visit to Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Angola (21-26 January), experts have hailed what they call the United States finally “making serious efforts to strengthen its relations with Africa”. The four-nation tour of the continent by the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was also officially […]
The two-day Global Gateway Forum that wrapped up in Brussels on Thursday (26 October 2023) saw the European Union sign three strategic partnerships with its partners to develop critical raw materials value chains and boost transport connectivity. During the event, the 27-member bloc signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) — for a partnership on critical […]