Joe Biden Sets Off for Angola to Focus on U.S.-Backed Railway Project
By Jessica Donati (Reuters)
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit Angola on Sunday, marking a major trip to Africa during his presidency. The visit will focus on a major railway project, partly funded by a U.S. loan, which aims to divert critical minerals away from China.
The Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) project links the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean, offering a fast and efficient route for exports to the West. At stake are vast supplies of minerals like copper and cobalt, which are found in Congo and are a key component of batteries and other electronics.
China is the top player in Congo, which has become an increasing concern to Washington. China signed an agreement with Tanzania and Zambia in September to revive a rival railway line to Africa’s eastern coast.
The U.S. Development Finance Corporation has provided a $550 million loan to refurbish the 1,300-kilometre rail network from Lobito to Congo. The project is backed by global commodities trader Trafigura, Portuguese construction group Mota-Engil, and railway operator Vecturis.
Biden’s trip will deliver on one of a sweeping set of pledges to Africa. He will also visit the nation’s slavery museum in the capital Luanda and stop at the Lobito port on Wednesday.
The project is seen as a test run for a private-public partnership and a potential model for other major infrastructure projects in Africa. It is also hoped to deepen U.S. ties with Angola, including in security cooperation.
However, critics have questioned whether the project will deliver the promised goals, particularly a second phase that would connect the railway to Africa’s east coast through to Tanzania, potentially offering a rival route to China.
The Congolese government wants to diversify its mining partners and has rejected the idea that connecting the project to an eastern port in Tanzania undermines the effort to loosen Beijing’s grip on Congo’s minerals.