Zambia and Angola made a giant leap towards improving regional connectivity and economic cooperation. At the ongoing 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, Hon. Eng. Counsel Museba Frank Tayali, MP Zambia’s Transport and Logistics Minister and his Angolan counterpart, Ricardo Daniel Sandaõ Queirõs de Abreu, signed the Lobito Corridor Railway Development Concession Agreement with the Africa Finance Corporation, AFC. This was at the Lotte Palace Hotel, and AFC was represented by its President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Samaila Zubairu.
This agreement seals a critical milestone towards positioning Zambia as a regional transport and logistics hub. Hon. Tayali was very optimistic and termed the signing of the pact an important achievement between the two countries. The Lobito Corridor Railway presents a vital project that is foreseen to continue acting as a catalyst for regional trade and improvement of infrastructural development, especially in connecting Angola and Zambia for the first time by a rail network.
The Lobito Corridor Railway is expected to reach full operations in early 2026, with the key to unlocking vast potential in the Copperbelt of Zambia, a section considered one of the largest copper-producing areas globally. It was meant to spur economic integration through a direct railway from Zambia to Angola and promote an inclusive growth path throughout the region. The railway is poised to create new markets and business opportunities, increasing trade between the two countries and beyond dramatically.
During the signing event, the Africa Finance Corporation announced the completion of a major feasibility study on the project, which confirmed its viability. AFC signed, together with both the Zambian and Angolan governments, a concession agreement for the development and operation of the railway. It forms part of the greater vision of fostering transcontinental connectivity across Africa that can cut down the cost of ferrying goods and people across borders from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
For this reason, USTDA provided a grant of $2 million for ESIA, for the purpose of ensuring that the project meets international standards. The assessment is important; it gives answers to many questions regarding the possible impacts that the railway may have on the environment and communities around the area. It would ensure that during implementation, the project adhered to sustainable development goals while limiting adverse impacts on the environment to a minimum.
The Lobito Corridor Railway is a modern concept of infrastructure development in Africa, aiming to develop the first open-access rail network across the African continent. Since the signing of the seven-party MoU last year, big strides have been taken toward realizing the vision for transcontinental connectivity. Certainly, this will spur economic development in Zambia and Angola, even more so than earlier, and improve trade routes and ties within the Southern Africa region.
This project, upon completion, will revolutionize regional transport with enormous opportunities for economic development and sustainable growth, placing Zambia and Angola at the threshold of becoming major players in Africa’s transport and logistics future.
