(Ecofin Agency) - This is the first official visit by a sitting U.S. president to Africa since Barack Obama's trip in 2015. It comes at a time when the U.S. is changing leadership. Angola is a strategic country with the largest trade surplus in U.S. dollars on the continent.

Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden (pictured) will make an official visit to Angola from December 2 to December 4, 2024. This was announced by the Africa Bureau of the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Frances Brown, Special Advisor to the President and senior African affairs official at the National Security Council, expressed enthusiasm about the trip.

Initially scheduled for mid-October, the visit was postponed due to Hurricane Milton, which devastated parts of Florida. This marks the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Africa since Barack Obama traveled to Ethiopia and Kenya in 2015. U.S. officials emphasize that the visit builds on the USA-Africa Leaders Summit of December 2022 and Angolan President João Lourenço’s trip to the U.S. in November 2023.

While the choice of Angola as a destination may seem unusual given the relatively modest trade relationship between the two countries, it holds strategic importance. In 2023, Angola’s primary trade partner was China, which imported over $18 billion worth of Angolan goods, mostly crude oil, according to the International Trade Center. The U.S., meanwhile, ran a $610 million trade deficit with Angola that year.

When the visit was first announced, some saw it as a potential effort by the Biden administration to counter China’s influence in Africa, particularly during an election year. However, the political landscape has since shifted. President Biden is no longer pursuing re-election, and Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential race to Donald Trump, the incoming U.S. president, who will likely have his own approach to Africa.

As a result, long-term trade agreements are unlikely to emerge from Biden’s visit to Luanda. However, his advisors suggest he will use the opportunity to reaffirm U.S. principles of collaboration with Africa, particularly in areas like regional security, energy transition, strengthening democracy, and economic partnerships.

From an economic standpoint, Angola holds strategic importance for the U.S. due to its proximity to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), two countries rich in copper reserves crucial for the global green economy. The U.S. has already established agreements with these nations to support their mining industries.

Angola’s role in the Lobito Corridor project further underscores its significance. This major infrastructure initiative connects the copper belt in Zambia and the DRC to Angola’s Lobito port. 

It has secured $3 billion in funding from African development finance institutions, along with European and American partners. The project is part of the Global Partnership for Infrastructure and Investment and aims to facilitate the export of minerals, boost agricultural value chains, and connect Central Africa to Western markets, including the U.S. and Europe.

The Lobito Corridor project enjoys bipartisan support in the U.S., and President Trump’s incoming administration is unlikely to disrupt American financial commitments to it. Angola also stands out as Africa’s leading economy in terms of trade surplus, achieving $25.7 billion in 2023, surpassing Algeria’s $17.2 billion surplus. Additionally, Angola plays a vital diplomatic role in efforts to stabilize relations between the DRC and Rwanda, two key U.S. partners in Africa.