Joe Biden had promised to visit Africa in 2023, a continent where there is a fight for influence between the giants China, Russia and the United States, but that did not happen.
The official visit to Angola was scheduled for this week, from October 13th to 15th, but last week the White House announced the postponement, justifying it with the impacts of hurricanes that were affecting several North American regions.
This statement, signed by White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, referred to the “postponement” of the visit but without giving any indication of a new date.
This Wednesday, in a regular meeting with the press, Karine Jean-Pierre said that the visit to Angola had been rescheduled for the first week of December.
“The value of strong alliances and partnerships in defense of freedom has never resonated more in Europe, Africa and beyond. These visits demonstrate the President's unwavering commitment to revitalizing these relationships for our shared security and prosperity,” said the spokeswoman, also referring to Biden's trip to Germany.
As announced in September, it will be his first visit to Africa since coming to power almost four years ago.
When the first date of the trip to Angola was announced, Washington said that it aims to reinforce economic partnerships and mark the advancement of the first free-access transcontinental railway network in Africa, in reference to the Lobito Corridor project.
“President Biden will travel to Luanda, Angola, where he will meet with Angolan President João Lourenço to discuss greater collaboration on shared priorities, including strengthening our economic partnerships, which keep our companies competitive and protect workers," he said. Karine Jean-Pierre at the time.
During this visit to Angola, he said, the "Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI)" project of the G7 (group of the seven most developed countries) will be formalized, which aims to create the first free-access transcontinental railway network in Africa, which begins in the Angolan city of Lobito and will end up connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, passing through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
Other topics on the table will be strengthening democracy and civic engagement, intensifying action on climate security and the transition to clean energy and strengthening peace and security, he said.
"The president's visit to Luanda [which will be the first by an American head of state to the country] celebrates the evolution of the U.S.-Angola relationship, underscores the United States' ongoing commitment to African partners, and demonstrates how collaboration to resolve shared challenges is beneficial to the people of the United States and the entire African continent", explained the spokeswoman at the time.
Biden will be the first US President to visit sub-Saharan Africa since then-President Barack Obama traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.
