It has been nine years since the last US President visited Africa, back in 2015. The last visit to Africa was made by President Barack Obama. In that year, he attended the memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela, the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, and met with the Ethiopian government, where he addressed the African Union.
However, Joe Biden’s visit, which would have made him the seventh US President to visit Africa out of the 47 Presidents who have led the great nation, was canceled earlier this week. Biden was scheduled to visit Germany and Angola on October 10 and 15, respectively. A lot of excitement had already been building up, as much was expected to be realized from this visit for Angola, Africa, and the US itself.
Why Was US President Joe Biden’s Visit to Africa Canceled?
The cancellation of the visit is not related to any political factors but is purely due to a natural disaster. In recent weeks, the US has been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. With the country greatly affected by these two natural disasters, the President is required to be available “to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton,” as reported by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday.
At the time of writing, no new dates have been communicated for the visit, which was initially planned last November when President Biden hosted Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço. With President Biden’s term officially ending on January 20, 2025, there is hope that new dates may be communicated, bringing this matter to a close.
Why Visit Angola?
After nine years without a US President visiting Africa, it is natural for a curious mind to ask: why Angola? It is no secret that the US has identified Luanda as a key pillar of the Lobito Corridor, an ambitious project the US is planning to leverage to gain a competitive advantage over rival nations like China.
Moreover, the visit was intended to strengthen US-Angola economic partnerships, with a shared vision for Africa’s first transcontinental open-access rail network. This network will begin in Lobito, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
