According to a statement sent to VerAngola, the meeting took place last Friday, at the LAR facilities.
"The administration of LAR - Lobito Atlantic Corridor received at its facilities at the Porto do Lobito mining terminal, last Friday, a delegation from the Benguela Business Alliance, made up of representatives from 18 business associations representing different sectors of economic activity", the note reads, which states that the delegation was headed by Carlos Pontes, representing the president of the Benguela Business Alliance, Adérito Areias.
At the meeting, which had "vital importance for the dialogue with local representatives within the scope of the development of LAR's activities along the Lobito Corridor", an institutional presentation of the concession was made, as well as "the main themes of its structure and development, railway and port operations, concession obligations, investment versus expected volumes over the 30 years of its validity, the state of financing already approved by the DFC but not yet finalized and the results obtained in the first eight months of railway and port operations".
The meeting also served to debate and analyze the tariff approved by ANTT (competent entity), as well as the "investment strategy throughout the concession for the maintenance and increase of volumes at domestic and international level", in order to increase the use of the rail mode to transport goods along said corridor.
"Finally, LAR's role in the development of the Lobito Corridor was discussed, and those responsible clarified that the company's objective is to offer an efficient and reliable transport solution to support the economic and social development of the corridor, whether in Angola or in DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], with the involvement of all interested parties, in particular businesspeople and associations present there", says the statement.
At the end of the hearing, the LAR administration welcomed "the presence in its offices of representatives from the Benguela Business Alliance", having reiterated "the need to hold periodic meetings that allow direct contact between the Lobito Corridor concessionaire and the local business community, so that they are properly informed about the activities and procedures of the Lobito Atlantic Corridor".
