Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa covering President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. government, UN, IMF, World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington and New York.
United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Thursday spoke with Angolan President João Lourenço to reaffirm the importance of the U.S.-Angola relationship.
“The Secretary lauded Angola’s regional leadership, underscoring President Lourenço’s contributions to bring peace to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and welcoming Angola’s contribution to the activities of the Southern African Development Community,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Friday.
Price added that Blinken also “highlighted our strong and growing economic partnerships and the upcoming visit of Special Presidential Coordinator for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment Amos Hochstein.”
“Secretary Blinken and President Lourenço discussed shared priorities to follow up on the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit,” Price said.
During the G7 Summit in Germany last June, President Biden announced that the United States government had facilitated a new partnership between two American firms and the government of Angola to invest $2 billion in building new solar projects in Angola.
Biden highlighted the solar energy project in Angola launched by U.S. companies Sun Africa and AfricaGlobal Schaffer with the support of the US Department of Commerce and Export-Import Bank.
The investment in Angola is part of a $600 billion G7 countries plan to invest in Africa in the next five years to strengthen economic ties and counter China’s growing influence on the continent.
During his remarks at the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC last December, President Biden announced new investments focused on boosting infrastructure and trade and countering the growing influence of China and Russia.
He said that the U.S. will support innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa, and that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation is investing $370 million in the continent to increase access to clean energy and supply farmers with fertilizers and help companies that bring water to communities.
In addition, Biden announced a new initiative to allow Africa participate in the digital economy that would include collaborations between Viasat and Microsoft to bring internet access to at least five million people in Africa.
“When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds. And quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well,” Biden said in remarks at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum.
He added, “I proposed this initiative together with the rest of the G7 to help fill the need for quality, high-standard infrastructure in Africa and in low-income and middle-income countries around the world. And at the G7 meeting earlier this year, we announced our intention to collectively mobilize $600 billion in the next five years.
“Today’s announcements joint — join a portfolio of Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment projects already underway in Africa, including mobilizing $8 billion in public and private finance to help South Africa replace coal-fired power plants with renewable energy sources and develop cutting-edge energy solutions like clean hydrogen; a deal worth $2 billion to build solar energy projects in Angola; $600 million in high-speed telecommunications cable that will connect Southeast Asia to Europe via Egypt and the Horn of Africa and help bring high-speed Internet connectivity to countries all along the way.”