Browsing: US-Africa diplomatic relations

• The Lobito railway project is central to Biden’s inaugural visit to Africa.
• President Biden seeks to enhance United States influence through the establishment of an additional rail connection to Zambia.
• A primary reason for the investment is to secure access to Africa’s abundant mineral resources.

Lobito Railway Central to Biden’s Africa Visit

President Biden, undertaking the inaugural visit to Africa by a sitting U.S. president in nearly a decade, considers the trip as an opportunity to mitigate Chinese influence in the continent and gain access to essential minerals that are vital for transitioning the global economy away from carbon-based fuels.

Central to this initiative is the 1,100-mile Lobito railway, which historically facilitated the transportation of uranium from the Congo for the Manhattan Project. A $866 million upgrade is being implemented, with the objective of facilitating the transportation of minerals, including copper and cobalt, from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of …

• US Congress members ask Speaker Mike Johnson to invite President Ruto to address the assembly.
• President Ruto will be visiting the US on May 23 to mark 60 years of US-Kenya diplomatic ties.
• If invited, President Ruto would become the first Kenyan Head of State to address a joint session of US Congress.

In a historic plan highlighting the deepening ties between the United States and Kenya, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul (Republican – Texas) and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (Democrat – New York) have jointly sent a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (Republican – Los Angeles, asking him to extend a formal invitation to President William Ruto of Kenya to address a joint session of Congress during his upcoming visit to the US, slated later in May.

“This year, we are celebrating the historic 60-year anniversary of the U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relationship. Such an invitation …