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US President Joe Biden has expressed pride in becoming the first American president to visit Angola, emphasizing the importance of the trip during a key meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace in Luanda. The talks focused on strengthening security cooperation and boosting trade between the two nations.
One of the significant highlights of the visit is the US backing of a major infrastructure project—a new 1,300km (810-mile) railway that will link Angola’s ports to mining regions in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. This initiative underscores the growing economic ties between the US and Angola, as well as the broader strategy of increasing American investment in Africa.
Biden’s trip to oil-rich Angola marks a strategic shift in US policy, aiming to bolster trade and investment in Africa in response to China’s growing influence on the continent. It is Biden’s first and only trip to Africa during his presidency, and the choice of Angola is seen as a significant step in improving bilateral relations.
President Lourenço welcomed Biden, calling the visit “an important turning point” in the nations’ partnership, which he said would gain new momentum going forward. In response, Biden highlighted the strengthening of US-Angola relations, emphasizing, “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 in Angola.”
Since taking office in 2017, Lourenço has worked to shift Angola’s foreign policy, steering the country away from its previous reliance on China and Russia and moving it toward closer ties with the United States.
Later in the day, Biden is scheduled to visit a slavery museum, acknowledging the dark history of the transatlantic slave trade. Over four million enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas, many from the region now known as Angola. The White House emphasized that the visit would not only acknowledge the painful legacy of slavery but also highlight the growing partnership between the two countries, with a shared focus on a brighter future.
Biden’s visit is seen as a reaffirmation of America’s commitment to Africa, marking a new chapter in US-Angola relations and signaling a desire to deepen collaboration in the years ahead.
