Biden hails Africa investment as ‘game changer’

Joe Biden on Wednesday lauded a landmark railway infrastructure project aimed at countering China’s investments in Africa as a “game changer” while on a historic first visit to Angola by a US president.

On the second day of his trip to the former Portuguese colony, Biden said the “Lobito Corridor”, a major railway route that should eventually crisscross the continent from east to west, would transform the lives of Africans for the better.

“All these projects and investments are designed to have high impact and meet the highest standards for workers, for the environment and for the communities,” the outgoing president said.

“Because the United States understands how we invest in Africa is just as important as how much we invest in Africa.”

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With the United States seeking to regain influence in the face of China’s advanced overtures, Biden had promised to visit sub-Saharan Africa during his time in office.

The project aims to help the transport of critical minerals from the inland countries to the Atlantic via Angola’s Lobito port.

The Lobito railway, also funded by the European Union and others, will reduce the time needed to transport minerals from the DRC and Zambia to Angola from 45 days to 45 hours, according to the US administration.

Part of the project’s objectives is to secure the United States’ access to supplies of metals and raw materials crucial to the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Announcing another $600 million in US investment, Biden argued that the project would benefit communities around the railway, joking that he would come back to catch the train himself.

“Imagine how transformative this will be for technology, clean energy, for farming, for food security as a whole,” the outgoing president said.

“It’s faster, it’s cleaner, it’s cheaper, and most importantly, I think it’s just plain common sense.”

His Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco, 70, called the project a “milestone”, while Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema said the railway would benefit “not just us – it’s good for Africa”.

Speaking from a food processing factory which Biden paid a quick visit to with the other heads of state, the DRC’s president Felix Tshisekedi declared the railway “a symbol of our collective will”.