Luanda, June 24, 2026 (Lusa) - The World Bank’s regional Agriconnect Angola Compact project, launched on Wednesday in Luanda, aims to mobilise US$1.4 billion (€1.2 billion) by 2030 to finance agribusiness and logistics, the Government announced.
In his speech, Angola’s Minister for Planning, Victor Hugo Guilherme, highlighted the partnership between the ministry of agriculture and forestry, the World Bank Group and all the partners involved in building this platform for cooperation and the mobilisation of investment for Angola’s agricultural sector.
According to the minister, the process of joining the project began in July 2025, placing Angola among the pioneers in Africa in this global initiative.
The Agriconnect Angola Compact, which will run for four years (2026–2030), focuses on the Lobito and Malanje corridors – railway lines in the provinces of Benguela and Malanje, respectively – to boost strategic value chains such as cereals, coffee, fruit, livestock and forestry.
Victor Hugo Guilherme emphasised that the initiative also aims to strengthen agricultural infrastructure, storage and logistics, with a direct impact on job creation, reducing losses and improving production efficiency.
“The Agriconnect Compact comes at a time when agriculture remains a strategic sector for national development. Over the last five years, the agriculture, livestock and forestry sector has grown by an average of nearly 5% and its share of the economy has risen from 14.6% in 2021 to 19.1% in 2025,” he said.
Despite this performance, he acknowledged that there are still “significant challenges” to overcome, notably the fragmentation of value chains, limited access to markets, finance and technology, as well as the insufficient integration of small-scale producers into the formal economy.
“It is against this backdrop that the Agriconnect Compact stands out as a timely, innovative and transformative solution, as it includes an integrated digital platform designed to bring producers closer to markets, financial institutions and public services, thereby promoting greater efficiency, inclusion and competitiveness throughout agricultural value chains,” he noted.
Speaking to the press, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Isaac dos Anjos, emphasised that there has been a focus by the international community on funding projects for the Lobito Corridor – a railway infrastructure project – and that the World Bank has aligned itself with this approach.
Isaac dos Anjos emphasised that the government had decided that, in addition to the Benguela railway infrastructure, that of Malanje should also be included, as these are the routes along which all agricultural initiatives – to be co-financed with foreign investment – will take place.
“This is how Agriconnect should be viewed: as the link between agriculture and the processing and preparation of food and actual products for the market,” he said.
According to the minister, several projects in the agricultural sector are already funded by the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB); the aim of Agriconnect is to secure funding for agribusiness and the development of logistics.
“We need to think in terms of silos and fertilisers; public funds alone cannot cover these costs,” he emphasised.
The long-term financing plan provides for a contribution of US$300 million (€260.2 million) from the Angolan Government towards public infrastructure, laboratories, roads, irrigation, and operational and maintenance costs.
The World Bank, which is providing the largest amount among the partners, plans to contribute US$450 million (€390.4 million) in the long term towards irrigation projects, logistics, the sector’s digital agenda, public goods and innovative financial instruments, with the remaining US$700 million (€607.3 million) to be covered by the project’s four other partners.
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