Luanda, Aug. 19, 2025 (Lusa) - Lobito Atlantic Railway, the operator of the Lobito railway, on Tuesday announced Nicholas Fournier and Alexandre Canas as new directors of the company, to implement the new “critical phase of operational expansion”.
“These appointments mark the formal separation of the roles of chief executive and chairman; together with a new executive committee and strengthened leadership of the board of directors, these changes reinforce LAR’s commitment to strong corporate governance as the company enters a critical phase of operational expansion,” the statement sent to Lusa said.
In the text, Lobito Atlantic Railway said that “the strengthened governance structure will help to ensure the leadership responsibilities and a more effective strategic positioning, while supporting LAR’s mission to build transport infrastructure essential for the economic development and regional integration of Angola”.
The Board of Directors is now composed of the chairman, Alexandre Canas, with Manuel Mota as vice-chairman, and Julien Rolland, Roberto Ferreira, Dmitry Miller, António Graça, Eric Peiffer, Tiago Ferraria and Ottoniel Manuel as directors.
The new executive committee also includes the new director of operations, Nicolas Gregoir, Domingos Castelão Silva as financial director and Nuno Chaves Frota as legal and compliance director.
The Lobito Corridor is a railway infrastructure that crosses Angola for 1,300 kilometres, connecting the port of Lobito (on the coast) to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo to transport critical minerals from the Copperbelt (DRC) and Kolwezi (Zambia) regions.
Lobito Atlantic Railway (a consortium comprising Portugal’s Mota-Egil, Switzerland’s Trafigura and Belgium’s Vecturis) runs the operation, and industry experts expect it to involve an investment of almost $1 billion, which the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Southern African Development Bank will partly finance.
This project is also part of the European Global Gateway initiative, with the European bloc announcing a €600 million package through the Global Infrastructure Investment Partnership (PGII) developed under the G7.
MBA/ADB // ADB.
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