Energy in Angola

Aug 10th, 2009 12:47 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh

On Sunday, August 9th, Secretary Clinton arrived in Angola, the third African country on her seven nation tour. Secretary Clinton met with government officials, including Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos, to discuss good governance and greater cooperation with the United States.

With a population of 17 million, Angola is one of the largest oil producers in sub-Saharan Africa, rivaling Nigeria as the largest sub-Saharan African source of crude oil for the United States. Angola has been working with the U.S. government to increase transparency and recently started publishing their oil revenues online. Yet even with these revenues, two-thirds of the Angolan population still lives on less than $2 a day. During her meeting, Secretary Clinton pressed the government to do more to fight corruption and emphasized the importance of the country’s first post-war presidential election. The elections were initially scheduled to take place this year, but it appears that they will be delayed until 2010. The government has said that they would like to approve a new constitution before holding elections, but critics argue that the President is intentionally delaying elections in order to extend his three decade rule. The government held parliamentary elections last year and in a press conference with Secretary Clinton, the Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs said they needed more time to conduct a presidential election.

It is thought that Secretary Clinton is seeking a strengthened relationship with Angola in order to ensure America’s position in African energy relations. U.S. officials say Clinton’s visit is intended to demonstrate the government’s interest in Angola as a major energy supplier to the U.S.

Secretary Clinton also stated an interest in playing a larger role in Angola’s agriculture sector. Angola was once a major food exporter, but it now imports over half of its food.

Clinton is the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Angola since Colin Powell’s trip in 2002. A U.S. president has not visited Angola since it became independent in 1975.

-Edith Jibunoh

TAGS: Angola, Clinton in Africa 2009