Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, considered Tuesday, that African countries need to optimize their resources and place them at the service of their respective nations.
The Angolan statesman was speaking in Lobito, Benguela province, at the ceremony for the transfer of the concession of rail services and logistics support for the Lobito Corridor to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium and for the inauguration of the fiber optic link between the three countries.
Before his counterparts from Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, and from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, João Lourenço urged frank cooperation between countries on the continent, with a view to development, progress and stability of nations.
João Lourenço declared, in his speech, that it is up to Africans to define and implement the form of their participation in world economic development, exploring and transforming their resources, as well as making them reach, in a timely manner, the markets that need them.
The Angolan President defended the appreciation of exports and the creation of jobs for youth and not just small talk in international forums, where glamor often overshadows what is really needed.
He stated that the Lobito Corridor will boost inter-African exports, which currently represent 14 percent of the total made with the rest of the world.
João Lourenço recalled that Angola clearly values the objectives of south-south cooperation, as well as the materialization of the commitments assumed at the level of free trade zones in the SADC and African region.
The act of transferring the concession of rail and logistics services supporting the Lobito Corridor to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium took place this Tuesday, in the city of the same name, in Benguela province.
The Lobito Atlantic Railway, the consortium considered the winner of the international tender for operating the Corridor, on November 4, 2022, is formed by the companies Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota-Engil.
The consortium plans to increase daily frequency to 50 trains over a period of 30 years and guarantee 1,600 direct jobs.
It will be responsible for transporting large loads, such as minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, as well as maintaining infrastructure (workshops, the railway line).
Privately managed, the Lobito Corridor includes the Port of Lobito, the Mineiro Terminal, the Catumbela Airport and the Benguela Railway.
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