Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, highlighted this Tuesday, in Benguela province, the importance of the Lobito Corridor at regional and international level.
The Congolese statesman was speaking after signing the agreement to transfer the concession of rail and logistics services on this corridor to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium.
According to Félix Tshisekedi, the Lobito corridor is of capital importance for the transport of raw materials and other goods from the countries in the region, so its exploitation and the implementation of instruments to facilitate trade and transport will contribute to the development of the internal and cross-border trade between States.
“This agreement, whose ceremony marks the transfer of the rail service and the supporting logistics, reinforces the collective choice we have taken to converge towards the integration of our peoples and our economies, so that we can bring about sustainable and solidary projects”, he said.
He underlined that the interest of the agreement lies in its ability to contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between Angola, DR Congo and Zambia, that it will help to consolidate peace and stability between the three countries, as well as facilitate greater fluidity in circulation and to favor the peaceful cohabitation of the respective peoples, from an economic point of view.
The President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, also reiterated the relevance of the corridor, especially the role it could play in connecting the line of mineral reserves that connects the copper belt between his country and the towns of Lumumbashi and Dola, in the DRC, which must be built quickly.
In addition to minerals, he referred to the fact that the corridor is open to areas such as agriculture, tourism and can provide a logistics platform that will facilitate the development of business in a shorter and faster way.
“We would like to secure Zambia’s commitment to this project because of the obvious economic benefits that the project could close”, he said, adding that it was an alternative route at a fair and clear cost.
He expressed Zambia’s support for revolutionizing the corridor as the center of economies and for improving the standard of living of the populations of these countries.
He said he was interested that the three economies could take a step forward, doing business, and that they would be capable of transporting not only raw materials, but also finished products, processed within Angola, the DRC and Zambia.
He defended the need to reformulate the policies that govern in favor of businesses, border posts and necessary taxes through electronic platforms, in order to consolidate the process.
“We must move forward so that we can grow our economies quickly and this growth is inevitable so that we can take care of the population, especially the youth”, he said.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
