Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu, clarified, Friday, in Huambo, that the financing of the Lobito Corridor ‘does not depend exclusively on the United States of America’, as it has a concession operated by the ‘Lobito Atlantic Railway’.
Speaking about the information circulated on some websites and digital platforms that US President Donald Trump withdrew funding for the Lobito Corridor, the minister said it was not true.
He said that one of the things done by President Trump was to put on ‘stand by’ a set of actions that were being developed by US aid agencies, in particular, USAID, which, in turn, has nothing to do with the Lobito Corridor.
Ricardo D’Abreu explained that the concession operated by Lobito Railway has been making its investments, through the capital of its shareholders, but, obviously, that the financing to cover all investment liabilities will be made by an American development institution.
He added that this US institution has been working with the Angolan government, including until yesterday, as there is no indication that it is suspended as the news has been circulating.
He pointed out that USAID, in particular, participated and intended to participate in the study work for the extension of the Lobito Corridor to Zambia, in an amount of US$250,000, but that this does not jeopardize in any way what has been the progress of the project that is being developed by the Africa Finance Corporation. in all its dimension.
The minister said that preparatory work is underway so that in early 2026 conditions can be laid for the first stone of the project.
Lobito Corridor
The Lobito Corridor, with a length of approximately 1,344 kilometres, connects the Atlantic Coast of Lobito to the border town of Luau, in the eastern part of the country, crossing five provinces, namely Benguela, Huambo, Bié, Moxico and Moxico-Leste.
With its national and international borders, the corridor has a structuring impact on the entire space of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and asserts itself as one of the main axes for the circulation of goods.
The Lobito Corridor, a strategic route for boosting the potential of national economic diversification, connects 40 percent of the country’s population, boosting large-scale investments in agriculture and trade.
The five provinces crossed by the Lobito Corridor play a fundamental role for agricultural development, with value chains in cereals such as corn, soybeans, wheat and rice, as well as tubers, beans, vegetables and fruits.
The corridor is internationally known as the route of the two oceans, as it connects the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans by land.
Therefore, it is the main alternative route to the export markets of countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, as it offers a shorter route to the main mining regions of the two countries landlocked by the Indian Ocean.
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