Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu, reaffirmed, this Thursday, in Lobito (Benguela), the intention of the Angolan Executive to interconnect the country’s three railway corridors.
This is the northern Corridor, which covers the provinces of Luanda, Cuanza-Norte and Malange, the central one, known as the Lobito Corridor, which crosses the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico, and the southern one, which leaves Moçâmedes (Namibe) to Menongue, in Cuando Cubango.
Speaking to journalists, the government official stated, by the way, that a study is underway and the next step will be to decide how to finance this project.
On the occasion, he announced that, later this year, a competition will be launched for the Southern Corridor, where a set of obligations will be defined for the future concessionaire, in line with their investment.
Asked about the evidence of American investment in the Lobito Corridor, he considers that the people still do not feel its impact because the concessionaires, namely Lobito Atlantic Railway and África Global Logistics, are still focused on improving infrastructure and creating conditions to achieve the recommended objective.
As for the involvement of national companies, specifically micro, small and medium-sized ones, he assured that this has already started to happen.
“We also had the opportunity to listen to communities in the agricultural sector, including rural women”, he explained.
According to the minister, these benefits have already started to happen, but there is work being carried out in Lobito, which has to do with the Lobito Corridor Master Plan.
The government official emphasized that an Executive program is underway called Diversifica Mais, financed by the World Bank, in the order of 400 million dollars, of which 150 will be used to support production dynamism along the Lobito Corridor.
Regarding the risk of accidents on the lines, he reported that work is being carried out on the three Corridors.
He stated that there are other issues that are related to fraud, sabotage and crime, which will also be addressed to the authorities.
“Above all, we think that the entire process of dynamization and the potential for generating wealth and contributions to the communities of the railway lines, can allow people to understand that it is much more useful to have the line free than to occupy it and run the risk of losing your life”, considered the minister.
“Luanda is clearly the biggest challenge, particularly in the population center area, because there is great interference on the line, but there is awareness and education work, as well as discipline,” he said.
He stated, on the other hand, that in this Corridor, the Government is working with an American railway team to promote, in due course, its dynamization, which will reach the provinces of Zaire, Lunda-Norte and Lunda-Sul.
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