African economic policy and strategy scientist E.D. Wala Chabala, who writes Zambian economic issues, has talked about US’ deal to construct a railway project in the Southern African region, revealing the advantage the Joe Biden administration booked project will have over China in the global green economy.
US President Joe Biden will make his long-awaited and first visit to Africa this week to showcase a US-backed railway project that goes across three countries. Biden is said to be happy about making the trip to Africa, according to Voice of America source at White House.
“He is excited and really looking forward to the trip,” Frances Brown, senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council, told VOA at the White House. “I think the president really sees this as a way to sum up all that he’s tried to put forward during this administration on our Africa strategy.”
Biden’s three-day trip to Angola starts Monday 2nd December and will promote the Lobito Corridor development in Southwestern African countries Zambia, Congo and Angola that the former US president has pushed as a new approach in countering some of China’s influence and dominance of Africa’s critical minerals.
China is already benefitting through its economic and trade partnership projects from mineral resources in Southern African countries Tanzania and Mozambique but risks losing its position on the region due to US’ initiative.
The Lobito Corridor is infrastructure (mainly through railway networks) and investment-based project goaled to improve and expand the existing railway and supporting infrastructure to allow efficient flows of critical raw materials from Zambian and Democratic Republic of Congo mining centres and to Angola’s port city of Lobito. The project establishes westward transportation of the region’s mineral resources meaning a divert from present day Eastward flow through trucks towards ports in South Africa, Tanzania, and Mozambique, which Futball Surgery understands the latest pathway will boost resources’ access to the US and European markets.
According to an independent economic policy and strategy consultant E.D. Wala Chabala, if the US has a lead in the green economy- an environmental sustainability movement that aims to reduce environmental risks and ecological scarcities for sustainable development without degrading the environment, they are most likely going to maintain their global leadership in the international economy.
“If they don’t maintain that, you could argue that the Chinese are likely to then come and overtake the US economy,” said Chabala.
Biden’s trip delivers on a pledge to go to Africa during his presidency but comes right at the end of his term and the future of the Lobito project depends on the incoming administration of Donald Trump.
Some analysts say it could also fit Trump’s vision to blunt China.
“From the US and an EU point of view, it’s like if we don’t have access to the critical minerals for the green economy will lag behind in terms of greening the global economy. And so the Lobito Corridor is seen as that gateway to the critical minerals that come out of Congo and Zambia,” stated Chabala.
Biden promised to visit Africa after reviving the US-Africa Summit for the first time in nearly a decade in December 2022.
The trip was kicked back to 2024 and delayed again in October because of Hurricane Milton, reinforcing a sentiment among Africans that their continent is low priority for the United States.
Yet many are optimistic that the Lobito project that’s referred to as one of Biden’s signature initiatives will survive a change of administration given it goes some way to blunting China.