Angola fourth-largest U.S. trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, Dr. Frances Brown, has stated that United States president, Joe Biden’s proposed visit to Angola, would solidify bilateral relations and Africa’s role in tackling current global challenges.
Speaking during a digital press briefing on Biden’s visit to Angola, from December 2 to 4, emphasised that the security and prosperity of the United States is tied to its African partners, which the trip recognises.
“Earlier in this administration, they released a United States-Africa strategy. That strategy talks about how it’s impossible to meet this era’s defining challenges without African contributions and leadership. President Biden also often talks about building relationships with African countries that rise to meet the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century together,” he said.
According to him, America has championed African leadership across multilateral fora, including advocating for new seats to be added to the G20, UN Security Council and international financial institution boards. More than 20 cabinet members and leaders of United States departments and agencies have visited the region just in the last two years.
On the reason for choosing Angola, Brown said United States sees Angola as a strategic partner and a regional leader, adding that their relationship with Angola has transformed over the past 30 years, with specific increased over the last three years.
“In 2023, United States-Angola trade totaled approximately $1.77 billion, which makes Angola our fourth-largest trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“We are also working with Angola to address a range of pressing challenges, including bolstering peace and security in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, growing economic opportunities in the region, and expanding technological and scientific cooperation,” he said.
He reiterated that the visit builds on President Biden’s bilateral meeting with President, João Lourenço almost exactly a year ago this month, as well as the second United States-Africa Leaders’ Summit which occurred in December 2022, and President Lourenço’s own visit to America in 2021.
“We have three primary goals of the trip. One is to lift up United States leadership on trade, investment, and infrastructure in Africa. Number two is to highlight Angola’s regional leadership and global partnership on a full spectrum of pressing issues, including trade, security, and health. Lastly, to highlight that remarkable evolution of the America-Angola relationship,” he added.
Brown said that during his visit, Biden will deliver public remarks on the America-Angola relationship and the administration’s approach to Africa, further conversations on infrastructure, climate, regional peace security, peace and security, deepening democracy, and economic shared goals.He will also highlight investment of the Lobito Corridor, meeting with Angola stakeholders making a difference in communities, among others.
Acting Special Coordinator, Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), Helaina Matza, said that PGI is a joint effort from G7 countries plus additional partners to drive investment to close the infrastructure gap in growth markets around the world.
“So the idea of the initiative and our broader approach to the Lobito Corridor is to not only close that infrastructure gap in the most innovative way but to provide sustainable solutions that drive economic growth, really enhance regional connectivity, and promote prosperity, and doing that through real, tangible investments in the critical infrastructure that is ultimately the foundation that drives that growth,” she said.
According to her, PGI is really supporting layered investments that amplify the impact of that infrastructure. So not only have we mobilised this kind of larger $5 billion number; a lot of that is broken up between investments in new clean energy projects, including solar, microgrid, and support for desalination efforts, many of these happening in Angola in particular.
“We deeply believe that President Biden’s trip to Angola marks a historic opportunity not only to highlight the progress of the PGI initiatives to date and what we have done as a group to bring so many key stakeholders to maintain momentum to the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor, but also to demonstrate that this is a model that we believe can be replicated and is really partner-driven and something that we’ve been really delighted to be a part in really shaping and bringing to life,” she added.
