LUANDA, Angola (AP) — Even in the waning days of his presidency and thousands of miles from home, U.S. President Joe Biden is finding ways to celebrate trains.
Biden is using his third and final day in Angola to showcase the Lobito Corridor railway, where the U.S. and key allies are investing heavily to refurbish 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of train lines in Zambia, Congo and Angola.
The project aims to advance the U.S. presence in a region rich in cobalt, copper and other critical minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies. By the end of the decade, the rail line could even go a long way toward linking southern Africa’s western coast with the continent’s eastern edge.
The Biden administration says the corridor will help business interests and counter China’s growing influence in Africa.
In Lobito, Biden will announce $600 million in new U.S. investment for projects associated with the corridor, which has also drawn financing from the European Union, the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, a Western-led private consortium and African banks.