Africa-Press – Angola. The study of economic and financial forecasts for the construction of the railway to connect the provinces of Luanda, Benguela, and Namibe is in its final stage, marking one of the decisive steps toward starting construction on this project, the Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu, reported on Tuesday in Luanda.
The Minister, who was speaking in an interview on the “Grande Entrevista” program on Angolan Public Television, revealed that the construction is expected to begin soon and it will last between five and seven years, covering a distance of 750 kilometers, connecting the north, center and south regions through the Luanda, Benguela and Moçamedes Railway.
Ricardo D’Abreu stated that the railway sector is an important factor in the transformation and diversification of the country’s economy, including the new Zenza do Itombe/Cacuso, Luena/Saurimo, and the north/south corridor, which will interconnect the national railway.
Regarding the civil aviation sector, the Minister highlighted the reforms to the structural legal framework, the construction and certification of airports, including the entry into operation of the of Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport in the province of Icolo e Bengo.
He added that the training component has received greater attention, with specialized training, with 70 pilots currently in training.
Regarding maritime transport, Ricardo D’Abreu added that the government is working to establish cabotage services along the entire national coastline in the near future.
Regarding the Luanda Light Rail project, Ricardo D’Abreu stated that the initial investments for the first phase will be covered by the government, as it is a complex project and a public utility service.
He also stated that the transport and logistics master plan is designed for the next 25 years, addressing the infrastructure gap, requiring an annual investment of USD 2.5 billion, equivalent to 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Minister stated that, to reduce this gap, the Angolan government has initiated the process of attracting large-scale financial operators with high operational capacity, such as DP World, which recently committed to investing an additional USD 150 million in the Lobito Corridor logistics chain, in addition to its USD 250 million in equity.
In addition to these initiatives, the official mentioned that national, international, and private operators have undertaken other initiatives, but private investors’ interest is largely focused on infrastructure or cross-border projects.
At the continental level, the Minister said that Africa needs new financing solutions to fill the over USD 130 billion deficit in transportation and logistics infrastructure.
The official noted the urgent need to increasingly attract international financial organizations and the private sector to contribute to infrastructure and achieve Africa’s desired development.
Ricardo D’Abreu highlighted the poor harmonization of the intra-African legal framework as one of the main challenges to be overcome if the continent is to attract more foreign direct investment.
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