The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) detailed in a statement that this is "additional assistance to address food insecurity and other urgent needs of refugees and displaced people" in 31 countries on the continent.
The funding includes about 823 million dollars through USAID and about 186 million dollars through the State Department, the statement added, highlighting that Africa is the region "where the percentage of the population suffering from hunger is the highest."
Armed conflicts, extreme weather events and natural disasters are contributing to this situation, and the pledge of aid "demonstrates once again" the "firm commitment" to stand alongside the United States' African partners to "address the challenge of food insecurity," the statement reads, appealing to the generosity of other donors.
In 2024, the United States provided nearly 6.6 billion dollars in humanitarian aid to sub-Saharan Africa, but more funds are needed "to meet critical and growing needs," USAID insists.
Joe Biden, the first US president to visit Angola, arrived in Luanda late Monday, where he met with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, and visited the Slavery Museum on Tuesday, where he gave a speech.
The outgoing US president is expected to travel to Lobito on Wednesday, which will host an international summit on the Lobito Corridor, an infrastructure that has received significant investment from the United States and the European Union and that will connect the port of Lobito to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
This major infrastructure project is intended to assert Washington's ambitions vis-à-vis China on the continent, just weeks before the inauguration of his successor Donald Trump on January 20.
