President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced over $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Africa during a visit to Angola, where the United States is showcasing a major infrastructure project aimed at countering China’s investments on the continent.
Biden, the first US president to visit the former Portuguese colony, met with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, earlier in the day and is set to visit the port of Lobito on Wednesday for an infrastructure summit.
Speaking at the National Slavery Museum on the outskirts of Luanda, Biden—who is set to hand over to Donald Trump on 20 January—affirmed the United States’ commitment to Africa and pledged substantial financial support.
“I’m announcing over $1 billion in new humanitarian assistance for Africans displaced by historic droughts,” Biden said.
Addressing Food Insecurity
The aid will “address food insecurity and other urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and affected communities in 31 African countries,” according to a statement from the US Agency for International Development.
Southern Africa is currently experiencing its worst drought on record.
Biden also reflected on slavery, describing it as “our nation’s original sin, one that haunted America.” He delivered his remarks outside the museum, which exhibits artefacts used during the transatlantic slave trade from Africa to the Americas over three centuries.
By the 19th century, Angola had become the largest source of slaves for the Americas, according to the Office of the Historian, a US State Department-affiliated website.
A ‘Turning Point’ in Relations
The visit, Biden’s first to Sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, marks a “turning point” in US-Angolan relations, according to President Lourenço. The 70-year-old leader, first elected in 2017, expressed a desire to enhance economic and security cooperation with the United States.
Biden highlighted the Lobito Corridor, a railway project designed to transport critical minerals from inland countries to Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito for export. The project, which has received backing from the United States, the European Union, and others, is intended to bolster regional connectivity and economic growth.
“The future runs through Angola, through Africa,” Biden said.
The two presidents also discussed concerns over Russia and the potential for weapons to find their way into Africa, according to a senior US official.
Geopolitical Dynamics
The Lobito Corridor project is a significant development in the geopolitical competition between the United States and China, which holds substantial investments in the region, including mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
Ahead of Biden’s trip, a senior US official noted that many African governments are seeking alternatives to Chinese investment, which often leaves nations burdened by unsustainable debt.
Angola owes China $17 billion, amounting to 40 per cent of the nation’s total debt.
Human Rights Concerns
Human rights organisations have urged Biden to address Angola’s rights record during his visit.
Amnesty International reported that Angolan police killed at least 17 protesters between November 2020 and June 2023 and called on Biden to demand the release of “five government critics arbitrarily detained for more than a year.”
Human Rights Watch similarly urged Biden to push for a public commitment from President Lourenço to investigate security force abuses and hold those responsible accountable.
Infrastructure Summit
On Wednesday, Biden is set to travel to Lobito, approximately 500 kilometres (310 miles) south of Luanda, for an infrastructure investment summit. The event will also be attended by leaders from Angola, the DRC, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The Lobito port is central to the Corridor project, which is described by John Kirby, a US official, as a “real game-changer for US engagement in Africa.”
Kirby added: “It’s our fervent hope that as the new administration takes a closer look at this project, they will see how it can contribute to a more secure, prosperous, and economically stable Africa.”