President Joe Biden will welcome Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lorenzo to the White House in 2023. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden has chosen to visit Africa in the final weeks of his presidential term. This will be his first visit to the continent since taking office in January 2021.
The trip was postponed at the last minute due to the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in the United States. It has been postponed to the first week of December.
Angola is located in western southern Africa. With a population of 37.2 million, it is the 11th most populous country in Africa. Its economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas, accounting for over 90% of exports and 43% of GDP. Its largest trading partners are China and India.
The proposed visit reflects the growing importance of Africa to the United States amid the “new Cold War” sparked by the conflict with China. The United States is responding to the growing influence of China, Russia, and other emerging powers in Africa. We are strengthening economic, diplomatic, and military cooperation.
The proposed visit to Angola marks a turning point in U.S.-Angola relations.
history of angola
Angolans fought a war of liberation against the Portuguese for 15 years, from 1961 to 1974. After achieving independence in 1975, a new socialist, pro-communist government led by the Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) took power.
The country was mired in civil war from 1975 to 1988. The United States supported rebel groups, the Front for the National Liberation of Angola (FNLA) and the National Union for the Full Independence of Angola (Unita). Cuba and the Soviet Union supported the MPLA.
Angola has abandoned communism and one-party rule since 1990. The first multiparty elections were held in 1992. Unita disputed the results. This sparked a new armed conflict.
The Government of National Unity was established in 1994. However, stability was only achieved in the early 2000s, after the death of Unita leader Jonas Savimbi.
The United States established diplomatic relations with Angola in 1993, and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations on May 19, 2023. Six US secretaries of state have visited Angola in 2020. U.S.-Angola relations have flourished further under the Biden administration.
In September 2023, Lloyd Austin became the first U.S. Secretary of Defense to visit Angola. This visit strengthened U.S.-Angola cooperation by creating high-level dialogue between the two countries. The two countries also strengthened cooperation in cybersecurity, space and maritime security.
In November 2023, Mr. Biden hosted Angolan President Joao Lorenzo at the White House. They discussed several areas of cooperation. These include economy, security, energy, transportation, communications, agriculture, and space.
Agenda for Mr. Biden's visit to Angola
The White House has listed five objectives for Biden's visit to Angola.
The first is to strengthen economic partnerships that keep American companies globally competitive and protect American workers.
The second objective is to celebrate the flagship projects of the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. It sponsored the construction of a new 800km railway line connecting Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia.
These two goals reflect a renewed U.S. desire to expand trade and investment, particularly in infrastructure development in Angola and other parts of Africa. These also highlight geopolitical competition with China and Russia in Africa. The United States intends to align itself with China's Belt and Road Initiative in this region.
Like many African countries, China is Angola's largest trading partner. In 2022, it accounted for 42.72% of Angola's exports (USD 21.9 billion) and 16.04% of its imports (USD 2.856 billion). China-Angola trade relations reached USD 23 billion in 2023. In contrast, US exports to Angola amounted to US$595. In 2023, US$1.2 billion will be imported.
Huge investments in transportation and other infrastructure are key to strengthening U.S.-Africa trade relations and countering China. This explains the recent US$250 million aid for the rehabilitation of the 1,300 km Lobito Atlantic Railway.
Additionally, the US Export-Import Bank is financing the delivery of 186 prefabricated bridges to Angola worth US$363 million. The United States also supported a deal for Angolan flag carrier TAAG to buy 10 new American-made Boeing 787s for $3.6 billion.
The third objective is to strengthen democracy and citizen participation in Angola. The U.S. Embassy in Angola has launched a program to support press freedom and judicial independence. The U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of the Treasury are helping build capacity in Angola to fight corruption and money laundering.
But Amnesty International and other human rights groups are concerned that geoeconomic interests will overshadow the promotion of democracy and human rights during Biden's visit.
The fourth objective is to strengthen action on climate security and clean energy transition. The United States is providing Angola with US$900 million over five years to develop more than 500 MW of solar power. Other U.S. investments will be in wildlife protection, drought mitigation, crop irrigation, and water resource management.
Like Nigeria and Rwanda, Angola has signed the Artemis Accords. This is a NASA initiative aimed at U.S.-led cooperation in the civilian exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids for peaceful purposes. In contrast, Ethiopia, Egypt, Senegal and South Africa participate in China's International Lunar Research Station.
The fifth objective is to strengthen peace and security in Angola and the rest of Africa. The United States and Angola are expanding cooperation in maritime security, space, and cyber defense. Angola is receiving US$18 million in military aid from the United States from 2020 to 2023. Angola is also a member of the US-led Transatlantic Cooperation Partnership, which aims to strengthen maritime security and promote the blue economy.
balance of power
Biden's proposed trip and track record of engagement with Africa puts him one step above his predecessor, Donald Trump, who did not visit the continent. Despite this, it is unfortunate that his term ended after only making a last-minute visit to one African country.
But the visit could open Angola to more U.S. investment and greater cooperation in trade, security, cyberspace and international politics.
While this development broadly represents a positive trend in U.S.-Africa relations, it has geopolitical, economic, and strategic implications for Angola-China, Africa-China, and U.S.-China relations.
Apart from reflecting the United States' strategic response to China's global rise and reminding China of America's interests in Africa, the proposed visit will also help the United States contain or counter China on the continent. It shows how far it intends to court Africa in its quest to
African countries therefore need to be in a position to take advantage of the opportunities presented by this “new cold war” between the United States and China.
Christopher Isike is Director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Pretoria.
Samuel Oyewole is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pretoria.
This article was first published by The Conversation.
