Lobito Corridor

Route information
Length	1,300 km (810 mi)
Major junctions
From	Lobito
To	Ndola
Location
Countries	Angola   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Zambia
Highway system

The Lobito Corridor is a railway and logistics infrastructure project that aims to connect the Port of Lobito on the Atlantic coast of Angola to the Central African Copper Belt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, with the aim of facilitating the transport of goods between Central Africa and global markets.

History

The central axis of the Lobito Corridor is the Benguela railway, originally built in the first half of the 20th century to connect central Africa to the coast, but whose service was interrupted in the later half of the century due to the destruction caused by the Angolan Civil War. ^{[1] [2]}

Its reconstruction began after the end of the war, under an agreement between Angola and China, financed by a $2 billion loan from Beijing. The official reopening of the angolan section to the border in Luau took place in 2015, in a joint ceremony between Angola, the DRC, and Zambia. ^{[1] [2]}

In 2022, Angola awarded the concession for the line to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium, comprising Mota-Engil, Trafigura and Vecturis. ^[3]

In October 2023, the European Union and the United States of America signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Angola, Zambia and the DRC for a partnership regarding the Lobito Corridor. ^[4] In August 2024, the first shipment of copper from the DRC reached the US after travelling through the corridor towards the Port of Lobito, marking a milestone in its revival as a key logistics route. ^[5] The project is being backed by major US and EU investments, including a €116 million EU Global Gateway package and hundreds of millions from the US Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI). ^[6]

In light of this, China announced a $1.4 billion investment in the competing TAZARA Railway, linking Zambia's Copperbelt to Tanzania's Dar es Salaam port. ^[7]

References

1. "Benguela Railway". Rovos Rail. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
2. "Three presidents inaugurate rebuilt Benguela Railway". Railway Gazette. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017.
3. "Concession agreement signed with the Angolan government for rail services and logistics support for the Lobito corridor". Trafigura. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
4. "EU signs strategic partnerships with DRC and Zambia". European Commission - European Commission. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
5. Gunia, Amy; Prager, Jackelyn (2024-11-04). "A rejuvenated railway in Africa is opening a new trade route for critical minerals". CNN. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
6. Zimmermann, Antonia (2025-11-24). "In the new scramble for Africa's resources, Europe tries to right old wrongs". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
7. "China revives Tazara to challenge the Lobito Corridor". Decode39. 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-12-06.