ZAMBIA, DRC & ANGOLA ALIGN TO ACCELERATE #LOBITO CORRIDOR IMPLEMENTATION

ZAMBIA, DRC & ANGOLA ALIGN TO ACCELERATE #LOBITO CORRIDOR IMPLEMENTATION

The Lobito Corridor has entered a decisive phase, transitioning from strategic conception and political alignment into coordinated implementation.

With firm commitments now in place from corridor countries and international partners, attention has shifted to execution—aligning financing, sequencing investments, harmonizing standards, and establishing durable governance mechanisms capable of translating ambition into a fully operational regional trade and logistics corridor.

It is against this backdrop that the Government of the Republic of #Angola, in partnership with the World Bank, is hosting the Inaugural Coordination Meeting on the Lobito Corridor from February 3 to 6, 2026, with the main plenary session scheduled for February 5 at the InterContinental Hotel, in #Luanda.

The meeting is focussing on the Lobito Corridor as a 1,300-kilometre integrated railway and infrastructure system linking the mineral-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (#DRC) and Zambia, to Angola’s Port of Lobito on the #Atlantic_Ocean.

The corridor is now increasingly recognised as a strategic enabler of critical raw-material supply chains, regional industrialization, and improved access to global markets, while also supporting broader trade, logistics, and value-addition activities across Southern and #CentralAfrica.

Zambia’s delegation, led by the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE, MP, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. CHARLES MILUPI, MP, is in Luanda, and was received on arrival by Zambia’s #Ambassador to Angola, Dr. ELIAS MUNSHYA.

The delegation also includes the Head of the #Presidential Delivery Unit, Ms. KUSOBILE KAMWAMBI, and the Permanent Secretary (Cabinet Office), Ms. NAOMI TETAMASHIMBA, reflecting Zambia’s whole-of-government approach to delivery, coordination, and accountability.

The Inaugural Coordination Meeting seeks to formally launch a regional coordination #architecture to accelerate corridor development, align national implementation timelines, and ensure coherence across public and private investments. It also aims to strengthen collaboration among the governments of Angola, Zambia, and the DRC, together with international partners including the World Bank Group, the European Union (#EU), and the United States (#USA), to improve planning, mobilize financing, and agree on clear, sequenced next steps for implementation.

In addition, the meeting will advance discussions on targeted infrastructure upgrades, including rail extensions and port enhancements, designed to reduce transport and #logistics costs, improve cross-border connectivity, facilitate trade, and support growth in #mining, #agriculture, agro-industry, transport, and logistics. For Zambia, these investments are integral to boosting #exports, crowding in private investment, and supporting sustainable growth and #jobcreation.

The meeting is expected to establish a robust framework for ongoing coordination, with the potential to mobilize significant public and private financing, including #investments from development partners and private financiers.

It is also expected to reinforce regional and international partnerships, building on prior commitments such as the 2024 memorandum of understanding involving the United States, the European Union, the African Development Bank (#AFDB), and corridor countries, while reaffirming shared commitments to cooperation and delivery.

Discussions will further advance dialogue on inclusive and equitable corridor-linked development, including appropriate consideration of social and community impacts in connected regions.

The meeting is expected to serve as a platform for subsequent engagements, including the Angola–EU #LobitoCorridor Business Forum planned for later this year.

Strategic Importance to Zambia and Pathways for Participation

For Zambia, the #Lobito Corridor is a strategic national priority. It will strengthen export diversification, reduce #logistics costs, and provide more efficient access to the Atlantic, thereby enhancing the country’s competitiveness in mining, agriculture, and emerging value-addition industries.

By expanding Zambia’s trade options and reducing dependence on longer and higher-cost routes, the corridor will enhance economic resilience and support #macroeconomic_stability over the medium to long term.

When the corridor enters its brick-and-mortar phase, significant opportunities will arise for the #privatesector to participate in construction, engineering, rail and port services, logistics, energy supply, and related support industries.

Beyond construction, a fully functioning corridor will create sustained opportunities in freight handling, mineral processing, agri-logistics, industrial parks, #tradefinance, and cross-border services.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia encourages the business community, financial institutions, and development partners to position themselves early, align investment plans with corridor priorities, and engage actively, not only in building the physical infrastructure, but also in operating, servicing, and scaling the economic #ecosystems that will underpin the Lobito Corridor as a long-term engine of growth, trade, and #regionalintegration.

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