Luanda – US president Joe Biden witnessed on Wednesday, at the Multipurpose Terminal of the Port of Lobito, in Benguela, the arrival of a train operated by the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), transporting copper from the Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The act is part of the agenda of the last day of the US president’s visit to Angola dedicated, among others, to learn about the functioning of this important infrastructure of the Lobito Corridor.
The activity was also witnessed by the presidents of Angola, João Lourenço, DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, Vice-President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango, whose countries are crossed by the Lobito Corridor.
The copper was then loaded onto a ship bound for New Orleans, in the United States, highlighting, once again, the strategic role of the Lobito Corridor in connecting Southern Africa and international markets.
Nicolas Gregoir, Director of Operations of Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), presented to President Biden and other guests the progress of the concession awarded to the company, which includes the integrated management of the Lobito Corridor railway line and the Lobito Minerals Terminal.
Early on Tuesday Joe Biden highlighted that the results of the partnership with Angola and Africa, in general, allowed the construction of this access railway that will connect the continent from west to east for the first time in history.
The US president highlighted that this is an instrument that will reduce the infrastructure gap for the benefit of Angolans, Africans, Americans and the world, which will enable them to produce much more agriculture, for example.
According to Biden, the project will not only create significant jobs, but also enable countries to maximize their own domestic resources to the benefit of the population, sell critical minerals that drive the global energy transformation, and transport them in less time and at a lower cost.
The US president recalled that a load that previously would take more than 45 days to reach America will now take 45 hours, underlining that this revolution increases profits and opportunities.
Joe Biden underscored the importance of the Lobito Corridor, since, according to him, it represents the right way to invest in total partnership with a country and its people and that the US will install enough clean energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes and will expand high-speed Internet to millions of Angolans.
This concession has demonstrated efficiency, sustainability and positive impact on the export of critical minerals, promoting regional economic development and the integration of Angola, DRC and Zambia into global trade.
President Biden's visit to Angola highlights the relevance of the Lobito Corridor as a model of logistical excellence and sustainable economic development, highlighting LAR's commitment to transforming this infrastructure into an indispensable pillar for global trade and transition energy by ensuring the efficient supply of strategic minerals such as copper to the markets that need it.
About Lobito Atlantic Railway
A 30-year concession was awarded to the joint venture of the LAR - Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium, composed of Trafigura, a market leader in the global commodities industry, Mota-Engil, an international infrastructure construction and Management Company, and Vecturis SA, an independent rail operator.
Since January 2024, LAR has operated, managed and maintained the railway line that extends for 1,300 km in Angola, between Porto do Lobito and Luau, in the East, and which connects with the railway network managed by Sociedade Ferroviária Nacional from Congo (SNCC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kolwezi, the heart of the Copper Belt.
LAR also operates the Porto do Lobito Mining Terminal, which connects to the railway line, providing a faster and more efficient service in one of the most uncongested ports on the Atlantic coast.
It provides job for more than 650 employees divided between the company's administration and railway and port operations.
These workers come mainly from CFB - Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela and Porto do Lobito, and are expected to grow significantly in number due to the increase in the concessionaire's activity.
The railway enabled the existence and operation of a faster western route for the transport of minerals and metals produced in the Congolese Copper Belt.
The modernized rail line will also help bring vital goods and resources to the region and support business development and commercial activity along the route.
LAR consortium is the concessionaire for the exploration, management and maintenance of the Lobito Railway Corridor, which connects Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A separate pre-feasibility study, supported by the US and EU, is underway for the extension of the Lobito railway line to northern Zambia. ART/TED/AMP
