President Biden looked visibly surprised on Wednesday as a troupe of Angolan dancers welcomed him – before the regional leader almost fell asleep at a subsequent meeting about a US-funded railway project.
When the 82-year-old president stepped off Air Force One, the retiring president was accompanied by about 20 dancers dressed in colorful prints and animal skins, one of whom jumped into the air to welcome him.
At his welcome party in the African country’s emerging Lobito trade corridor, Biden appeared at one point wide-eyed in surprise and smiled at others.
Biden’s visit was sidelined later in the day when reporters at the pool observed a tired-looking Biden resting his eyes and raising his face with his hand at a round table discussion with Tanzanian Vice President Philip Was listening to Mpango.
The hot room may have contributed to drowsiness, which was interrupted when an aide whispered in the President’s ear.
Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi also participated in the group discussion.
Biden, who is leaving office on January 20, visited the region along Angola’s central coast to boost efforts to build a $1 billion US-funded railway linking the country to the Indian Ocean – a key infrastructure Framework project that aimed to distance the region from China. Investment and impact.
“All of these projects and investments are designed to have high impact,” Biden said at the group meeting.
“The United States understands that how we invest in Africa is as important as how much we invest in Africa.”
The Biden administration has also supported a $2 billion solar energy project in Angola with the Export-Import Bank Ongoing $900 million in debt last year.
Biden on Tuesday pledged $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Africans displaced by drought and on Wednesday announced a planned contribution of $600 million to support agriculture and other economic development along the new rail corridor — though both promises The fate of is unclear due to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump, who is more skeptical of foreign aid, will take office next month.
(TagstoTranslate)Politics(T)US News(T)Angola(T)Joe Biden
