SECOND HIGH-LEVEL COORDINATION MEETING ON...
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Efforts to accelerate the Lobito Corridor project are intensifying as the Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zambia, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and other partners commit to moving beyond the pledge stage toward the actual implementation of a program set to transform the economies of these three African nations and the wider region. The second high-level meeting regarding this strategic corridor began on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Lusaka, Zambia.
Key objectives of the meeting include mobilizing private sector financing for energy and logistics infrastructure and promoting regional economic integration by developing the Lobito Corridor into a genuine economic ecosystem—one that fosters local mineral processing and facilitates trade through the reduction of administrative barriers and the harmonization of customs procedures.
In his address, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema hailed the Lobito Corridor as an integrated program destined to play a pivotal role in implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and boosting trade volumes among African nations. He also welcomed the agreement signed between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to modernize their shared borders—specifically through the construction of one-stop border posts—thereby reducing costs and processing times for the import, export, and transit of goods.
Leading the DRC ministerial delegation—which included Julien Paluku Kahongya (Minister of Foreign Trade) and John Banza Luna (Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works)—Guylain Nyembo Mbwizya, Minister of State for Planning and Coordination of Development Aid, advocated for the project's effective implementation. He emphasized the promotion of industrial zones and infrastructure construction, as well as the development of agro-industrial and tourism activities along the Lobito Corridor, for the benefit of the region's populations and economies.
For Angola, the success of the Lobito Corridor project must be a collective effort aimed at shared prosperity.
On the part of the funding agencies, the World Bank has pledged to fast-track financing for the construction of the Dilolo-Sakanya railway, which connects the mining regions of the DRC and Angola to the port of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean.
