President Joe Biden’s three-day visit to Angola has garnered attention from major news outlets, including The Mining Journal. His trip is seen as an effort to counter China’s increasing influence across the African continent. Central to the visit is the spotlight on the Lobito Corridor railway, which Biden’s administration aims to highlight as a key infrastructure project to bolster economic ties.
This visit follows the announcement of the United States’ plans to partner with Angola in the development of a significant African mineral processing hub. The country is seeing substantial investments in energy and transport logistics, indicating growing interest from foreign investors. The US sees these developments as opportunities to enhance its role in Africa’s economic transformation.
In addition to the visit, the SOAS Development Leadership Dialogue is hosting a discussion tonight on how critical minerals can contribute to economic progress. The event will feature prominent figures such as Isabelle Ramdoo from the IGF, Amir Lebdioui from the University of Oxford, and Paul Atherley, Chairman of Pensana Plc.
Pensana plc (LON:PRE) explores and mines neodymium, praseodymium, and rare earth minerals. The Company’s flagship assets are the Saltend rare earth refinery project in the United Kingdom and Longonjo neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) Project in Angola.