Africa-Press – Angola. The Special Presidential Coordinator of the United States of America, Amos Hochstein, considered Angola a crucial country, due to its economic potential and encouraged the reforms carried out by the Angolan Executive.
Speaking to the press at the end of an audience granted to him this Wednesday by President João Lourenço, the senior US official underlined the role of the Angolan statesman in the ongoing reforms in the country and in the process of diversifying the economy.
Received as a special envoy of the President of the United States of America (USA), Amos Hochstein stated that the energy transition that the world is experiencing is also an opportunity for Africa and Angola.
Still in the economic sector, he valued
the Lobito Corridor (Benguela), having considered a “quite important” infrastructure in the connection between some neighboring countries of Angola without access to the sea with the Port of Lobito.
The Lobito Corridor is formed by the port of the same city and the Benguela Railway.
The corridor route is the fastest export route for copper, cobalt and other ores to countries such as Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As for other regional issues, Amos Hochstein stated that his country is “quite grateful” for President João Lourenço’s involvement in the process of pacification and stability in the Great Lakes Region.
He informed that during the meeting with the Angolan President he had the opportunity to discuss issues related to ongoing investment by North American companies in Angola and in Southern and Central Africa.
“The collaboration between the United States and Angola is excellent and will continue. This is the partnership that President (Joe) Biden wants, specifically, in the areas of security, economy and trade, for the development of Angola and the region”, he underlined. .
The senior US official makes a tour of the continent to consolidate decisions of the US-AFRICA Summit, held last December in the US capital, Washington.
Angola and USA Relations
Angola and the United States of America established formal diplomatic relations in 1993. The energy sector is at the center of economic relations between both countries.
The American Ex-ImBank has a credit line to support US exports to Angola.
The United States-Angola Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting trade and investment between the two countries.
Fight against corruption
The U.S. supports Angola in its fight against corruption through a number of initiatives, including the Treasury Department’s program, launched in March 2019, to enhance the country’s ability to implement the Anti-Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (AML) regime. /CFT).
Economic cooperation
American companies have investments in Angola, especially in the energy sector, such as ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Caterpillar, Chevron, Cummins, TechnipFMC and Tidewater.
In 2019, a consortium led by Chevron announced plans to invest more than two billion dollars in exploring new offshore natural gas fields and increasing production from existing fields.
The US Ex–ImBank signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Angola in April 2019, with the aim of exploring guarantees of up to US$4 billion in support of US exports to the country.
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