Benguela – The deputy executive secretary of the Regional Integration of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Angele Makombo Ntumba, recognizes the progress in revitalizing the Lobito Corridor, particularly the construction of the new Zambia-Lobito railway line (ZLR).
This is a railway project developed by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), whose total cost is estimated at USD 5.6 million.
The new line, of approximately 800 kilometers, will connect the municipality of Luacano, in Angola, to the Zambian district of Chingola, shortening the connection to the Port of Lobito by almost 500 km.
Angele Makombo Ntumba was speaking on Wednesday, at the second meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the three Member States of the Lobito Corridor, namely Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, within the scope of the implementation of the Transport Facilitation Agency for Transit of this railway infrastructure (AFTTCL).
“Therefore, the Lobito Corridor has experienced progress and great achievements”, she said, highlighting the Zambia-Lobito railway project as the first gain of the Lobito Corridor, because it will connect the Zambian railway line to the Benguela Railway (CFB).
ANGOP found that in the Angolan part the Luacano/Jimbe border post section will be built, approximately 291 kilometres, while in the Zambian part the Jimbe/Solwezi/Chingola section will be built, with approximately 509 kilometres.
The deputy executive secretary of SADC congratulates the three member states of the Lobito Corridor, due to the gains already achieved towards the transformation of this mega railway project into a center of regional development.
She said that the second major gain is related to a public-private partnership, signed during the United Nations Assembly, which essentially as she reiterates, it is a result of a concession agreement between Angola and Zambia, to build and transfer the project's railway line between both countries.
The official reported that the third gain is the movement of goods along the Kolwezi Atlantic railway line, through the Dilolo border, between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola, to the Port of Lobito”.
She also highlighted as the fourth gain the fact that the Republic of Angola received financial support of more than USD 300 million from the World Bank (WB), to develop a value chain along the Lobito Corridor.
Finally, she listed the fifth gain as part of the Global Initiative, that is, the European Union (EU) considers the Lobito Corridor as one of the strategic corridors that will receive support from several financial institutions.
Another reason for Angele Makombo Ntumba's praise is the fact that the three member states of the Lobito Corridor have signed a multilateral agreement with the USA, the European Union, the African Development Bank (ADB) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), to support the promotion of the development of the project in question.
According to her, the heads of State of Angola, João Lourenço, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, and of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, have repeatedly committed to accelerating the development of the Lobito Corridor in that same city.
She stressed that the proof of that is the Multilateral Summit between the heads of State of Angola, DRC, Zambia, the former US President, Joe Biden, including the vice-president of Tanzania, Philip Mpango, held in December 2024, in the province of Benguela, on the sidelines of the visit of the former North American statesman to Angola.
To her, this meeting presented the highest level of government commitment to forging partnerships that guarantee the development of the Lobito Corridor.
Operations
As for the meeting of the AFTTCL Committee of Ministers, Angele Makombo Ntumba sees it as another milestone that demonstrates the commitment of member states to approve important documents that will support the operations in the Lobito Corridor.
In her view, the creation of the AFTTCL secretariat, with the inauguration of its headquarters in Lobito city, will make it possible to progressively supervise all development activities along the Lobito Corridor on a daily basis.
She pointed out that these structures are important for coordinating development strategies for transport, trade, technology, agriculture, mining and energy infrastructures, as well as for harmonizing laws and facilitating commercial exchanges.
In this way, the SADC official believes that AFTTCL will promote development chains, which are the objectives and ambitions of the Member States of the Lobito Corridor.
On the other hand, it is important that the Lobito Corridor be in line with the various SADC protocols, including the 2020 regional development strategy, the 2013-2030 infrastructure development plan and the 2015-2063 development strategy.
Also highlighting the policy on agriculture and the development plan, Angele Makombo Ntumba also reiterates the regional organization's commitment to achieving common regional objectives, such as access to markets and the development of member countries.
It is in this regard that she launched the challenge to the Member States of the Lobito Corridor to take advantage of this opportunity to collaborate, innovate and forge partnerships that will forge the future of the SADC region.
Angele Makombo Ntumba said that together one can achieve the goals of the SADC development strategy, to bring economic growth and at the end of the day improve the living conditions of the populations in the region.
About SADC
The body, which was created in 1992, in Windhoek, Namibia, after the transformation of SADC (Southern African Development Coordination Conference) into a Development Community, is an intergovernmental organization that aims to promote the economic and social development of member countries.
The main objectives of SADC, whose headquarters are in Gaborone, Botswana, are to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth, reduce poverty, improve the quality of life of populations, support disadvantaged social strata, and promote peace and security.
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kingdom of Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius and Mozambique make up the regional organization.
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