U.S. Department of State (US) Office of African Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Joy Basu will visit Angola next week to strengthen economic partnerships with the Angolan government.
The North American representative, who will attend the 20th AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) commerce forum in Johannesburg this Thursday and Friday, told Lusa that the three-day visit to the Angolan capital Luanda, starting on Monday, aims to promote diversification of “the entire Angolan economy”.
“We have large investments from American companies, facilitated by the US government, both in the port of Lobito and in solar energy and telecommunications. These are American companies that are working with the US government to increase investment in Angola. “And the purpose of my trip is to understand what more we can do to help strengthen bilateral trade between the United States and Angola and further diversify economic growth,” he explained.
According to the US official, President João Lourenço’s leader “has taken a number of financial and economic measures, implementing many economic reforms,” but the US wants to be sure that these reforms “actually benefit the people of Angola and that American companies can come and partner to provide goods and services that Angolans need not only to meet their daily needs, but also to become a more prosperous country with a sustainable, inclusive and growing economic experience.”
Joy Basu emphasized to Lusa that President Joe Biden’s administration intends to “continue ongoing U.S. investments in Angola, including the Lobito Corridor, as well as identify more diverse investment opportunities throughout the Angolan economy.”
In addition to Angola, the Lobito seaport and railway corridor development project aims to improve regional connections with neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) and Zambia.
“It involves identifying hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, but it hopes to bring millions of dollars of trade into the region and really expand regional ties between these countries and through South Africa,” he stressed while speaking with Lusa.
In the Angolan capital, the deputy assistant secretary of the US State Department’s Office of African Affairs said she had planned meetings with private sector representatives and government officials, including the secretaries of commerce and transportation, “to talk about what policies truly create an enabling business environment.” to investing.”
Last September in Johannesburg, the United States announced approximately $1 billion (€931.3 million) for the multi-sector development of the Lobito Logistics Corridor, which will link Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia in South Africa.
According to the United States government, the new railway line connecting Zambia to the port of Lobito will be “the largest US and EU investment on the African continent in a generation” aimed at “unlocking enormous potential.” which exists in the railway sector in sub-Saharan Africa.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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