Luanda, May 14, 2026 (Lusa) - The coordinator of the first Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report on Angola’s Lobito Corridor said on Thursday that the governance model is as important as project funding.
"Governance decisions, not just funding, will determine this project’s success," Pablo Valverde said during the report's launch, noting that "weak transparency makes funding more difficult."
The project aims to improve and expand the railway linking Lobito port in western Angola with the mining area in eastern Angola, the southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Zambia.
The report identifies "fragmentation among public, private and regional actors, weak cross-border coordination and transparency, the lack of a unified stakeholder platform and the lack of cheap and reliable energy" as the project's main challenges.
"This project cannot be a mine-to-port initiative because it misses the target if designed only for transport," the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) project coordinator and vice president, Osaruyi Orobosa-Ogbeide, said.
He noted that the Lobito Corridor "is an economic corridor that will create new cities and economic opportunities in several sectors, including agriculture, which has business opportunities worth more than $4 billion [€3.4 billion] in Zambia."
The AFC investment manager said "global political alignment, strong political support, a common purpose and an institutional framework" mean "the stars are aligned for this project to happen."
The Lobito Corridor is a 1,300-kilometre railway through five provinces in Angola (Benguela, Huambo, Bie, Moxico and East Moxico) extending to the DRC and eventually Zambia, linking the Atlantic’s Lobito Port to the Copperbelt mining region.
The Katanga region in the DRC generates approximately 80% of the corridor’s market potential, exporting cobalt, copper, nickel and lithium to international markets.
The Lobito Corridor Master Plan identified 22 specific opportunities in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and agro-industry – the sector with the most projects – including grain, fruit and horticulture processing hubs, coffee and honey clusters, aquaculture and cold storage centres.
Logistical and transport opportunities include seven opportunities, such as a logistics platform in Bie and a cross-border market in Luau, Moxico.
The Lobito Corridor Development Company (SDCL), a state-owned company created in January 2026, will serve as the future governance mechanism to manage, coordinate, supervise and promote economic development and attract strategic investment in agriculture, industry, tourism and services.
Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), a consortium of three European companies – Mota-Engil, Trafigura and Vecturis – operates the Lobito Corridor under a 30-year concession won in 2023.
MBA/LYT // AYLS
Lusa
