Lobito - The Minister of Transport of Zambia, Frank Tayal, defended on Wednesday, in the city of Lobito (Benguela), the transformation of the Lobito Corridor into an economic route for the development of the countries of the region.

The Zambian official made this statement during the opening of the headquarters of the Lobito Corridor Transit and Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA), in that railway-port city.

According to Frank Tayal, the development of the Corridor will make the economies of the countries in the region stronger.

'It is also necessary to build road infrastructure and develop agricultural structures along the Corridor, such as warehouses and others, to create more jobs for young people,' he said.

In this regard, he said that his country remains engaged and determined to cooperate with the member states of the Corridor.

'We are anxious for the operationalization of the Lobito Corridor to take place as soon as possible, with the help of our sponsors,' he said.

Frank Tayal said he was sure that the LCTTFA office would help implement the decisions made at the second meeting of transport ministers.

'We approved the structure of the interim Secretariat, which is extremely essential for the operationalization of the Corridor', he informed.

In his opinion, the Angolan government has been extremely magnanimous in offering one million and six hundred thousand dollars for the next three terms, to get the Secretariat up and running.

'We are here to witness this space available for our interim Secretariat, which is a demonstration of engagement,' he clarified.

Regarding the financial system to be able to operationalize the Corridor, Frank Tayal defends the idea of working with interest groups to be able to quickly mobilize and enhance the private sector of Angola, Zambia and the DRC, in order to consolidate the loads for the Corridor.

'There has to be an active participation of the private sector, only then will we achieve sustainable development,' he stressed.

For the Zambian Minister of Transport, this Corridor will make a difference if members are closer to aspire to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). TC/CRB/DOJ