The Lobito Corridor in Angola demonstrates how the US can fund initiatives to strengthen economies in the region, the White House says
US President Joe Biden has toured the Angolan port of Lobito on the final day of his three-day trip to the Southern African nation before leaving office next month.
The Atlantic port terminal is part of the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment, a flagship project of Biden’s administration that connects Angola to Zambia’s Copperbelt Province and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). Washington has invested nearly $4 billion in the 1,300-km railroad and related projects, as it competes for influence with China in a region rich in critical minerals such as cobalt and lithium, required for the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles as well as clean energy technologies.
“The Lobito Corridor showcases how the US can deliver financing for investments in infrastructure projects that strengthen economies and advance US and African priorities,” the White House said following Biden’s tour on Wednesday.
The American leader announced $600 million in additional funding to upgrade the train lines, expand agricultural infrastructure, and construct high-speed mobile networks.
Biden made the commitment at a summit in Lobito, attended by Angolan leader Joao Lourenco, his Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) counterpart Felix Tshisekedi, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, and Tanzanian Vice President Philip Isdor Mpango.
Biden’s visit to the oil-rich country is the first by a sitting US president to Angola and the first by an American leader to sub-Saharan Africa since 2015. The trip comes just weeks before his successor, President-elect Donald Trump, takes office on January 20.
China dominates mining in the DR Congo and Zambia, and has made significant infrastructure investments in the continent for decades, primarily through the Belt and Road Initiative. During a cooperation summit in September, Beijing announced a $50 billion investment in joint projects with its African allies.
The Chinese government additionally signed an agreement with Tanzania and Zambia to restart a decades-old railway project aimed at boosting trade between the two African countries. Analysts believe the project is China’s response to the US-funded Lobito Corridor.
The Lobito Atlantic Railway project, awarded to a consortium of Western companies in 2022, has been portrayed as a counter to China’s control over resources in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s vast reserves of copper and cobalt.
There is uncertainty about the continuation of the Lobito project after Trump’s inauguration. However, two officials who served in his previous administration have stated that he will likely support the railway development at least partly when he returns to the White House, as reported by Reuters. Trump also backs measures to counter Beijing and has vowed to impose new tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada.
The US president-elect has also warned that BRICS countries will face 100% tariffs on their goods if they establish a new currency or support an existing one as a rival to the dollar. Beijing has said it will continue to expand cooperation with allies despite the threats.
