Joe Biden heads to Angola this month focusing on a ground-breaking transport project that could change how Africa moves its minerals. The trip starts with a quick stop at Cape Verde where heʼll meet Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva
The main focus is a US-backed rail-link (worth about $550-million) that connects mineral-rich Congo and Zambia to Angolas Atlantic coast. This super-long track – running 1‚300km from port-to-mines – creates a fast-track for getting important stuff like copper and cobalt to Western markets
Its probably poetic justice that the United States should finance the rehabilitation of this route to which it had contributed destruction so many decades ago
The project shows how things have changed since the old days: Angola used to be close with China and Russia but now its looking West. Transport Minister Ricardo Viegas dʼAbreu says his country wants to work with anyone who helps them grow: “China has only gained prominence because Western countries have probably not been paying much attention to Africa“
Three big companies are working on this:
* Trafigura (trading company)
* Mota-Engil (builders)
* Vecturis (rail experts)
The US govt sees this as more than just a railway – its testing if public-private team-ups work in Africa. Some people dont think itll work as planned but Judd Devermont who used to advise Biden on Africa stuff says Congo wants different partners not just China: “The Congolese have been very clear that they dont want to see their entire mining sector dominated by China“