The president expressed pride in what the United States and Angola have achieved together to transform their bilateral partnership.
U.S. President Joe Biden, during his meeting with Angolan President Joao Lourenço at the presidential palace in Luanda, Angola’s capital, stated: “The future of the world lies in Africa.”
Arriving on Monday for a three-day visit to Angola, Biden expressed pride in being the first U.S. president to visit the African nation.
“The United States is fully committed to Africa, and proof of this is that my administration alone has invested over $3 billion in Angola. The future of the world is here, in Africa, and specifically in Angola,” he said.
Earlier, in Cape Verde, Biden met with President Ulisses Correia e Silva on the island of Sal, where he mentioned plans to discuss how democracy delivers tangible results for citizens in his talks with Angola.
The president expressed pride in what the U.S. and Angola have achieved together to transform their bilateral partnership.
Highlighting projects such as the U.S.-backed railway line, investments in solar energy, and enhanced internet connectivity, Biden emphasized that the outcomes of U.S.-Angola relations speak for themselves.
Calling Biden’s visit a milestone, Lourenço urged stronger cooperation in defense and security sectors and advocated for public-private partnerships to increase energy production.
In Angola, the U.S.-backed railway project, vital for bilateral economic ties, was a focal point.
This project connects the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to Angola’s Lobito port on the Atlantic coast.
With its 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) railway extending from Lobito to Congo, the network is expected to facilitate rapid transport of exports to the West.
Analysts suggest that the $1 billion project, the largest U.S. railway investment in Africa, could weaken China’s dominance over critical minerals such as copper and cobalt from Congo.
On Wednesday, Biden is scheduled to visit the slavery museum in Luanda and make a stop at the Lobito port.
