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Angola

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Angola. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Luanda

Head of State

President João Lourenço

Head of Government

President João Lourenço

China financed only six projects across Africa in 2024, Boston University Global Development Policy Centre report says. Photo: Xinhua

China-Africa relations

Chinese loans to Africa down by nearly 50 per cent as priorities shift

Report says the decline highlights a ‘more selective phase of engagement’ by Beijing.

26 Jan 2026 - 5:24PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

21 Dec 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

US-China relations

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

6 Dec 2025 - 6:51AMvideocam

Europe’s refugee crisis

UK toughens asylum policy as anti-immigration sentiment rises

Policy overhaul seeks greater control over who can remain in Britain as tens of thousands of people claim asylum.

18 Nov 2025 - 1:34PM

Migrants in Gravelines, northern France, walk in the water to board a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain. Photo: AP

China-Africa relations

Chinese loans fuel Angola’s future cities but analysts cautious over the costs

Luanda turns to its backers in China for help in housing the emerging middle class but prices are out of reach for many Angolans.

20 Oct 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

US$1.4 billion Tazara rail deal puts China on fast track to Africa’s Copperbelt

State-owned CCECC will refurbish and operate the ageing Tanzania-Zambia railway, securing access to vital shipping links.

1 Oct 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

US-China relations

US invests in Zambia project in bid to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals

USTDA will provide US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa to fund feasibility study on expanding the copper and cobalt mine.

19 Sep 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

The US is interested in critical minerals from Zambia and DR Congo, both key producers of copper and cobalt. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

Infrastructure is no longer just about moving ore, it is about shaping global supply lines, one analyst notes.

6 Sep 2025 - 2:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Kenya’s plan to switch debt payments from US dollars to yuan is a ‘win-win’

The move could set a new precedent, reducing Nairobi’s reliance on US currency while meeting Beijing’s goal of increased trade deals in yuan.

5 Sep 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Middle East

Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Al-Mansour Holdings is looking to tap into six resource-rich sub-Saharan countries for minerals, oil and gas.

4 Sep 2025 - 3:17PMvideocam

A labourer carries a sack of ore at the Rubaya coltan mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo on March 24. Photo: Reuters

China-Africa relations

Angola rail project not aimed at countering China, CEO says

The US has framed it as key to de-risking from China, but Nicholas Fournier says Lobito Atlantic Railway is ‘a purely commercial entity’.

23 Aug 2025 - 8:39PM

Lobito Atlantic Railway has strong commercial ties to China and serves as an important logistics provider for Chinese-owned mining interests, according to the company’s CEO. Photo: Lobito Atlantic Railway

China-Africa relations

China investing US$350 million in Angola in drive to boost food security

The deals to grow corn and soybeans involving major state-owned firms come as Beijing seeks to reduce reliance on US agricultural supplies.

2 Aug 2025 - 2:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China looks to Africa as testing ground for global roll-out of yuan

A growing list of African nations have made deals to explore or implement use of the Chinese currency for trade and financial transactions.

16 Jul 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Opinion | Africa could emerge a winner from China’s war-induced energy shift

China’s transition to renewables could see African nations benefit as long as public-private partnerships help unlock potential gains.

30 Jun 2025 - 7:06AMvideocam

A worker fits solar panels onto frames during construction at South Africa’s first municipally owned solar plant in Atlantis, about 40km outside Cape Town, on June 5. Photo: AFP

DR Congo

Opinion | Trump’s Africa policy zeroes in on minerals and militarism

As China tightens mineral export controls, the US is recalibrating its approach towards resource-rich African nations.

25 Apr 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Members of the M23 rebel group stand guard as people attend a rally in Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of Congo, on February 27. Photo: Reuters

China-Africa relations

China still leads the pack in Africa’s critical minerals race as US falls behind

Beijing has spent years – and billions – investing in Africa’s mining sector, and it is now paying off, experts say.

12 Mar 2025 - 11:16PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

In Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, China is proving it is master of the sea

China’s naval presence in an area notorious for piracy is both protecting its investments and stretching its military muscles.

29 Dec 2024 - 4:00PMvideocam

History

Brazil-Angola cruise along slave trade route to shed light on dark past

The Great Passage cruise will make the transatlantic trip millions were forced into in reverse, in the name of education and accountability.

14 Jan 2025 - 1:29PM

Organisers of a journey retracing the slave trade route between Angola and Brazil hope to hire a cruise liner for the trip. Photo: Reuters

Joe Biden

Biden arrives in Angola for his long-awaited sub-Saharan Africa visit

US president will use the three-day trip to counter China’s influence by highlighting an ambitious US-backed railway project.

3 Dec 2024 - 4:13AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

‘This is meant to be a demonstration’: how US plans to challenge China in Africa

The US and China are in a race to secure greater access to Africa’s vast mineral reserves with an infrastructure push by land and sea.

12 Nov 2024 - 11:40AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Why is China choosing Gulf, Russia over Africa for crude oil supplies?

A report has highlighted the struggle among African oil suppliers as China moves towards other trading partners.

7 Jul 2024 - 6:11PMvideocam

Angola in central Africa pioneered the concept of oil-backed loans as a way to get Chinese financing for infrastructure building. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

US must avoid ‘devastating’ budget cuts to vie with China in Indo-Pacific: envoy

But Republican lawmakers question whether funds are being spent effectively to counter Beijing’s ‘malign influence’.

28 Jun 2024 - 6:36AMvideocam

Daniel Kritenbrink has served as US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs since 2021. Photo: AP

US-China relations

US Export-Import Bank seeks more latitude to counter Belt and Road Initiative

Testifying before a supportive Congressional panel, the agency’s president asks for loosened restrictions to respond to Beijing’s export subsidies and finance.

28 Jun 2024 - 5:36AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China should look to Africa to counter overcapacity claims, AFC chief says

Samaila Zubairu, head of the development bank, says China should not see the continent as just the source of raw materials.

23 May 2024 - 2:35PM

China-Africa relations

Coalition of the dissatisfied? Why China and Russia are winning friends in Africa

Beijing and Moscow are doing some things right but bigger picture forces are at play, analyst says.

19 May 2024 - 8:08PMvideocam

The World Bank and Western countries have been criticised for funding “capacity building” but not critical projects such as irrigation or railways. Photo: Shutterstock

China-Africa relations

Does China’s oil-for-infrastructure lending model in Africa need a rethink?

Chinese resource-backed loans were a lifeline for African economies but fluctuating commodity prices exposed a hidden danger.

20 May 2024 - 4:46PMvideocam

The ‘Angola model’ that saw Chinese lenders step in to fund the country’s reconstruction after decades of civil war worked well until oil prices soared in 2014, making it hard to service the debt. Photo: Reuters

South Korea

South Korea raises terrorism alert for 5 of its embassies. Here’s why it’s odd

Analysts say the sudden two-tier rise of the warning despite no major events in progress for Seoul could signal precautions against a retaliation over a row on defected diplomats.

3 May 2024 - 5:08PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

‘White gold’ mines in Africa bear fruit after decades of Chinese investment

New Zimbabwe processing plants help create lithium supply chains for Beijing as other markets tighten.

3 May 2024 - 3:17PMvideocam

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Angola

Chinese loans to Africa down by nearly 50 per cent as priorities shift

Report says the decline highlights a ‘more selective phase of engagement’ by Beijing.

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

UK toughens asylum policy as anti-immigration sentiment rises

Policy overhaul seeks greater control over who can remain in Britain as tens of thousands of people claim asylum.

Chinese loans fuel Angola’s future cities but analysts cautious over the costs

Luanda turns to its backers in China for help in housing the emerging middle class but prices are out of reach for many Angolans.

US$1.4 billion Tazara rail deal puts China on fast track to Africa’s Copperbelt

State-owned CCECC will refurbish and operate the ageing Tanzania-Zambia railway, securing access to vital shipping links.

US invests in Zambia project in bid to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals

USTDA will provide US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa to fund feasibility study on expanding the copper and cobalt mine.

China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

Infrastructure is no longer just about moving ore, it is about shaping global supply lines, one analyst notes.

Kenya’s plan to switch debt payments from US dollars to yuan is a ‘win-win’

The move could set a new precedent, reducing Nairobi’s reliance on US currency while meeting Beijing’s goal of increased trade deals in yuan.

Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Al-Mansour Holdings is looking to tap into six resource-rich sub-Saharan countries for minerals, oil and gas.

Angola rail project not aimed at countering China, CEO says

The US has framed it as key to de-risking from China, but Nicholas Fournier says Lobito Atlantic Railway is ‘a purely commercial entity’.

China investing US$350 million in Angola in drive to boost food security

The deals to grow corn and soybeans involving major state-owned firms come as Beijing seeks to reduce reliance on US agricultural supplies.

China looks to Africa as testing ground for global roll-out of yuan

A growing list of African nations have made deals to explore or implement use of the Chinese currency for trade and financial transactions.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Africa could emerge a winner from China’s war-induced energy shift

China’s transition to renewables could see African nations benefit as long as public-private partnerships help unlock potential gains.

Opinion | Trump’s Africa policy zeroes in on minerals and militarism

As China tightens mineral export controls, the US is recalibrating its approach towards resource-rich African nations.

China still leads the pack in Africa’s critical minerals race as US falls behind

Beijing has spent years – and billions – investing in Africa’s mining sector, and it is now paying off, experts say.

In Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, China is proving it is master of the sea

China’s naval presence in an area notorious for piracy is both protecting its investments and stretching its military muscles.

Brazil-Angola cruise along slave trade route to shed light on dark past

The Great Passage cruise will make the transatlantic trip millions were forced into in reverse, in the name of education and accountability.

Biden arrives in Angola for his long-awaited sub-Saharan Africa visit

US president will use the three-day trip to counter China’s influence by highlighting an ambitious US-backed railway project.

‘This is meant to be a demonstration’: how US plans to challenge China in Africa

The US and China are in a race to secure greater access to Africa’s vast mineral reserves with an infrastructure push by land and sea.

Why is China choosing Gulf, Russia over Africa for crude oil supplies?

A report has highlighted the struggle among African oil suppliers as China moves towards other trading partners.

US must avoid ‘devastating’ budget cuts to vie with China in Indo-Pacific: envoy

But Republican lawmakers question whether funds are being spent effectively to counter Beijing’s ‘malign influence’.

US Export-Import Bank seeks more latitude to counter Belt and Road Initiative

Testifying before a supportive Congressional panel, the agency’s president asks for loosened restrictions to respond to Beijing’s export subsidies and finance.

China should look to Africa to counter overcapacity claims, AFC chief says

Samaila Zubairu, head of the development bank, says China should not see the continent as just the source of raw materials.

Coalition of the dissatisfied? Why China and Russia are winning friends in Africa

Beijing and Moscow are doing some things right but bigger picture forces are at play, analyst says.

Does China’s oil-for-infrastructure lending model in Africa need a rethink?

Chinese resource-backed loans were a lifeline for African economies but fluctuating commodity prices exposed a hidden danger.

South Korea raises terrorism alert for 5 of its embassies. Here’s why it’s odd

Analysts say the sudden two-tier rise of the warning despite no major events in progress for Seoul could signal precautions against a retaliation over a row on defected diplomats.

‘White gold’ mines in Africa bear fruit after decades of Chinese investment

New Zimbabwe processing plants help create lithium supply chains for Beijing as other markets tighten.

Opinion | Africa could emerge a winner from China’s war-induced energy shift