U.S. Secretary of State Travels to Africa on Four-Nation Tour
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has undertaken a four-nation tour of Africa to boost infrastructure investment and trade with the continent.During the tour, Blinken will visit Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Angola.
The six-day tour, which began on 21 January in Cape Verde, will focus on regional security, conflict prevention, democracy promotion, and trade, with particular emphasis being placed on the U.S.’s strategic partnership with Angola.
Blinken is expected to expand on the Biden Administration’s partnership with Angola in the areas of economic investment, food security, health and the energy transition.
The U.S. has been instrumental in the development of the southern African country’s Lobito-Corridor project, which is poised to boost socioeconomic development, energy security, and regional integration while rivalling China’s foothold in the region.
Meanwhile, Blinken’s visit to West Africa’s regional and economic heavyweight, Nigeria, will focus on the country’s role in security issues in the Sahel region of northern Africa.
Escalating unrest in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as coups in Niger and Gabon, are likely to top the Secretary of State’s talking points in Nigeria.
The visit comes as the U.S. aims to accelerate progress on bilateral ties with Africa, with the North American country having struck hundreds of deals worth $14.2 billion in African nations in 2023.
