Speaking to journalists, Ambassador James Story, the US Chargé d'Affaires in Angola, stressed that the Corridor demonstrates the importance of partnerships between the public and private sectors, as well as between countries, highlighting the international sources of financing for the different projects.
The Lobito Corridor is a railway infrastructure that crosses Angola over a distance of 1,300 kilometres, connecting the Port of Lobito (coastal) to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo to transport the production of critical minerals from the Copperbelt (DR Congo) and Kolwezi (Zambia) regions.
The operation is being carried out by Lobito Atlantic Railway (a consortium comprising the Portuguese company Mota-Egil, the Swiss company Trafigura and the Belgian company Vecturis), and is expected to involve an investment of almost one billion dollars, partly financed by the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
The Corridor is also part of the European Global Gateway initiative, with the European bloc announcing a package of 600 million euros through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) developed within the scope of the G7.
Over the last two days, the US embassy in Luanda has been promoting a diplomatic offensive with 17 European ambassadors and ambassadors of other nationalities visiting the Lobito Corridor to demonstrate the potential of the infrastructure, visiting some emblematic projects.
“(About this visit) the most important thing is that we are all here together (…) working with the Angolan people, with the Angolan government for sustainable development. The message from the US is that we will continue to work for these private sector opportunities”, highlighted James Story.
When asked about the suspension of some projects by the US agency USAID that were associated with the Lobito Corridor and aimed at supporting women farmers, James Story stressed that the US continues to take local communities into account, stating that business projects also bring opportunities.
Regarding the remaining financing projects, with the DFC and entities such as the Exim Bank, he said that they are not at risk, noting that these are processes that take some time for the disbursement to be finalized.
“We have heard that we are walking away from this project, which is not true. We are here to demonstrate that we are committed to these projects and that we will continue to work with our partners,” he reiterated, adding that President Trump wants business.
The visit also serves as a prelude to the US-Africa business summit that will be held in Luanda between June 22 and 25, to which 2,000 businesspeople and representatives from several African countries have been invited.
The Lobito Corridor was a priority of the previous administration of Joe Biden, who visited the infrastructure last December and said that in Africa there was no country more important to the US than Angola.
Regarding the importance that Africa and Angla have for the new Trump administration, James Story highlighted that Africa's role is growing. “Africa is a continent in which we all have an interest,” she declared.
The European ambassador, Rosário Bento Pais, also emphasized that the “Lobito Corridor is here to stay” because it is of interest to Europeans and also to the United States. “The reason why you are visiting the Lobito Corridor is because we are together,” she told journalists during a train journey with the diplomatic delegation between Huambo and Lobito.
At the moment, she stressed, the United States is already benefiting from the minerals that are transported through the Corridor, “something that the European Union is not, despite the transport being carried out by private European companies.”
“That is why I do not see the United States being disinterested in something that they are benefiting from, but if that happens we will evaluate it and we will not let the Lobito Corridor fall behind,” assured Rosário Bento Pais.
The Portuguese ambassador Francisco Alegre Duarte, who is also part of the delegation, said that Portuguese companies are “fundamental partners for any foreign investor in Angola, due to their professionalism and knowledge of the country” and stressed that it is important for the Angolan side to do “seduction work” with Portuguese investors, treating with “special care” the companies that are already in Angola.
