Joe Biden headed to Angola for a trip that will deliver on a promise to visit Africa during his presidency and focus on a major US-backed railway project that aims to divert critical minerals away from China.
The project, partly funded with a US loan, links the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean, offering a fast and efficient route for exports to the West.
At stake are vast supplies of minerals like copper and cobalt, which are found in Congo and are key components of batteries and other electronics.
China is the top player in Congo, which has become an increasing concern to Washington
China signed an agreement with Tanzania and Zambia in September to revive a rival railway line to Africa’s eastern coast.
While Biden’s trip is taking place in the waning days of his presidency, Donald Trump will likely back the railway and remain a close partner to Angola when he returns to the White House in January, according to two officials who served under the previous Trump administration.
Tibor Nagy, a retired career ambassador and top envoy to Africa under the last Trump administration, said Trump will likely have two overarching concerns regarding Africa.
The first is competition with China and Russia, the second is access to critical minerals.
“This checks both boxes,” he said in an interview, referring to the Lobito Atlantic Railway.
The project is backed by global commodities trader Trafigura, Portuguese construction group Mota-Engil and railway operator Vecturis.
The US Development Finance Corporation has provided a $550 million loan to refurbish the 1,300-kilometer rail network from Lobito to Congo.
Biden was set to land briefly in West Africa’s Cape Verde on Monday morning, and meet Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva there before flying on to Angola, the White House said.
He will visit the National Museum of Slavery in the capital Luanda during the two-day trip and stop at the Lobito port on Wednesday.
