Bidens Visit to Africa Will Focus on History and Economic Hope

President Biden will begin a long-promised trip to Africa on Sunday night when he travels to Angola for a visit aimed at acknowledging the long and painful history between the two nations while committing to a future of economic investment.Mr.Biden’s trip to Africa is the first by an American president since Barack Obama traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.The visit, likely Mr.

Biden’s last overseas trip during his time in office, comes after he pledged in 2022 to visit the continent to make clear that the United States was “all in on Africa’s future.” After multiple delays, Mr.Biden is conducting a three-day diplomatic tour of Angola, where he will visit a slavery museum and spotlight a rail corridor that his aides point to as a primary example of his administration’s economic strategy in the region.The $1 billion project, known as the Lobito Corridor, would link Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, nations rich with the critical minerals used to make batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles.

By highlighting the project, Mr.Biden is trying to cement efforts to expand American access to the critical resources in Africa and, in effect, compete with China’s growing influence on the continent.Despite the Biden administration’s friendly appeals, however, the United States still lags behind China and Russia in competing for economic and security influence in Africa, according to foreign policy experts.“A dirty little secret, ever since we disengaged with post-colonial Africa: It has been our lowest priority,” said Tibor P.

Nagy Jr., who was appointed by President Bill Clinton twice to serve as an ambassador in Africa and then by the Trump administration to serve as assistant secretary of state for African affairs.“You have some administrations like this one, that come out with grandiose African strategies that are absolutely aspirational.

But it is like the old advertisement: Where is the beef?​”We are having tr...