Watch: White House on importance of President Biden’s trip to Angola

President Joe Biden is headed to Angola on Oct. 13. The trip will mark history as the 46th President of the United States will be the first American commander in chief to visit the oil-rich country. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio during Monday’s press briefing that Biden is keeping his “commitment” to visit the continent of Africa. The travel will also celebrate “the evolution of the U.S.- Angola relationship,” she noted.

President Biden will meet with Angolan President Joao Lourenco as the Central African nation faces challenges, including the climate crisis. 

White House officials acknowledge they are still developing the trip’s schedule; however, while in Angola, the president is expected to engage in bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss increased collaboration on shared priorities that include global infrastructure and investment. 

Jean-Pierre also said Africa’s first transcontinental open-access rail network, which will “ultimately connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean,” will be a priority.

“Those types of collaborative partnerships can solve challenges that both countries have,” said the Biden spokesperson.

Jean-Pierre would not acknowledge whether part of the rail network’s purpose is to alleviate issues around the supply chain for grain exports from Ukraine to African nations. Blockage in the Black Sea, which has raised concerns about hunger in Africa, has been caused by Russia’s war in the eastern European country.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told President Biden at an earlier stage of the Russian-Ukrainian war that he was concerned about the deadlock at the Black Sea ports, which were used to transport vital agricultural goods out of Ukraine — a vital economic engine for the country — and to African countries in need.  

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