US President Biden Expresses Pride in Historic Angola Visit

US President Joe Biden stated he is “very proud to be the first American president visiting Angola” as he commenced discussions with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço. The discussions, held at the presidential palace in Luanda, the capital, focused on security and trade matters. The United States government is supporting a new railway project, spanning 1,300km (810-miles), designed to connect an Angolan port with mining regions in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. This visit to Angola, a nation rich in oil, forms part of a broader US initiative to enhance its focus on trade and investment across Africa, a move that some analysts interpret as a strategy to counterbalance China’s growing influence on the continent. As his sole trip to Africa during his presidential term, President Biden’s selection of Angola holds considerable significance, indicating a notable enhancement in the relationship between the two countries. In his welcome to the US president, Lourenço stated that the visit “marks an important turning point in our relationship, which will undoubtedly gain a new dynamic from today onward”. Responding to Lourenço, President Biden affirmed, “I’m deeply proud of everything we have done together to transform our partnership thus far.” He further reiterated, “You’ve heard me say it before… the United States is all in on Africa… The future of the world is here, in Africa, and Angola,” referencing comments he previously made at the 2022 US-Africa summit in Washington. Following its independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, Angola had been closely aligned with China and Russia; however, since assuming power in 2017, President Lourenço has redirected the nation towards fostering stronger ties with the United States. President Biden is scheduled to visit a slavery museum later on Tuesday. Historically, over four million enslaved individuals were forcibly transported from this African region to the Americas. The White House issued a statement on Monday, declaring, “Together, the United States and Angola acknowledge the past horrors of slavery and its legacy, while looking forward to a bright future of continually deepening collaboration between our nations.”