*Why Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Others Are Missing…
By Abiola Olawale
United States President Joe Biden is currently in Angola on his first-ever bilateral trip to Africa as president.
The New Diplomat reports that Biden touched down in Luanda the Angolan capital, Luanda, on Monday, after a brief stop in the West African nation of Cape Verde.
However, it was gathered that though Biden is visiting Africa for the first time in his administration, he won’t be visiting Nigeria, South Africa, and other countries considered by analysts as strategic in the continent.
According to reports, Biden’s three-day trip to Angola is to fulfil a promise Biden made long ago as well as to counter China’s expanding influence on the continent of Africa.
In a press statement issued by the White House, Biden’s visit to Angola will focus on an $800 million US-backed railway project in the Lobito Corridor, connecting the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to Angola’s Lobito port.
The project is said to be funded mainly by the US and European Union with the upgrade of the existing rail network. This aims to expedite the export of cobalt and copper from the DRC’s Kolwezi mining area.
The statement reads in part: “With the DRC being one of the largest producers of these minerals, they are crucial for electric vehicle batteries, a sector the US and EU are keen to develop. The US has provided a $550 million loan for the project, supported by the African Development Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation.
“The railway spans approximately 1,300 km (800 miles) and may extend into Zambia. Trafigura, a Portuguese company, has led a consortium managing the railway for 30 years. Analysts warn that the US faces challenges in the corridor due to China’s established interests in the region through its Belt and Road Initiative.”
