US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed his country's commitment to Angola's digitalisation efforts.

Blinken is touring Africa to strengthen relationships and promote Just Transition, pushing countries to diversify away from an overreliance on oil.

"Along with physical infrastructure, the United States is investing in Angola's digital architecture, supporting reliable telecommunication networks — using trusted vendors — that will benefit the Angolan people and improve Angola's digital connectivity to the global economy," he said.

Blinken, whose visit concludes on Thursday, was expected to meet President João Lourenço and Foreign Minister Tete Antonio.

The leaders planned to address the bilateral relationship between the United States and Angola, as well as promises made during the US-Africa Leaders' Summit on major issues such as climate, food security, global health collaboration, economic engagement, trade, and technology.

The Artemis Accords, signed in November 2023 by the United States and Angola, pursue a shared vision of space exploration collaboration.

They signed a bilateral Open Skies Agreement in April, which will boost aviation connectivity between the two countries while also creating huge new potential for trade, tourism, and investment.

Blinken's visit to Africa follows US President Joe Biden's promise earlier this year that the G7, through their flagship infrastructure initiative, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), would build data centres across Africa.

At the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to identifying new options for scaling the PGII.

For the US, the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)  has subsequently announced that it will use its $300 million credit facility to Africa Data Centres to build a first-of-its-kind data centre in Ghana.

The US government stated that "Africa accounts for less than one percent of total available global data centre capacity despite being home to 17 percent of the world's total population."

"This investment builds on the Vice President's trip to Ghana and is laying the groundwork for a digital revolution on the continent by increasing access to cloud-based technologies, bringing down the cost of internet, which facilitate greater access to women, and making the continent a more competitive destination for industry."

In addition, it said DFC, the United States Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency are supporting investments in digital infrastructure and improved access to digital services in Angola and the DRC.