LUSAKA, April 24 – Africa Finance Corporation and the African Development Bank have each committed $500 million to a major railway project aimed at linking Zambia’s copper belt to global markets via Lobito in Angola.
The project, known as the Lobito Corridor, will span about 830 kilometers and is expected to cost up to $5 billion. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, with completion targeted for 2030.
Italy is also supporting the initiative with an additional $320 million, further strengthening the financing structure for what is considered one of Africa’s most strategic infrastructure developments.
The railway will serve as a critical export route for copper and cobalt, key minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, as well as defense and aerospace industries. According to project developers, initial offtake commitments have already reached about 1 million tons, with expectations to scale to as much as 5 million tons.
The project includes two core components: upgrading an existing rail line from Lobito to southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and constructing a new railway extension into Zambia’s mining regions.
This Zambian spur represents the country’s largest rail development since the 1970s, when China financed a key line connecting its copper belt to the Indian Ocean through Tanzania.
The Lobito Corridor has also gained geopolitical significance, with the United States and European Union backing it as part of efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains and counter China’s growing influence in Africa.
Bidding for engineering and construction contracts is underway, with contractors expected to be selected by mid-year and groundbreaking planned before the end of the year or early 2027.
