LAGOS, Oct 30 – Tanzania and Angola have agreed to connect their Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean transport corridors through a railway link running across Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in a proposed expansion of regional trade and transport infrastructure.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the agreement would connect Angola’s Benguela Railway to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) line, extending the network to the port of Dar es Salaam.
The proposed connection would link the Lobito Corridor, which runs from Angola’s Atlantic coast through Zambia towards the DRC, with Tanzania’s Central Corridor on the Indian Ocean. Hassan disclosed the initiative to reporters on Thursday but did not provide a completion date or further details about the project’s financing and implementation.
If realised, the railway connection would establish an additional east-west transport route across Central and Southern Africa, linking mineral-producing regions to ports on both ocean coasts.
Railway investment reshapes regional transport competition
The proposed link comes amid growing investment in railway infrastructure across the region, particularly around routes serving Zambia and the DRC’s mineral-producing areas.
In 2025, China signed a $1.4 billion agreement with Zambia and Tanzania to modernise the TAZARA railway. The line, originally financed by China in the 1970s, was built to facilitate copper exports and fuel imports.
Meanwhile, Italian construction company Webuild said this week that it had won a tender to construct a section of the Zambia-Lobito Railway Corridor, adding to efforts to develop the Atlantic-facing transport route.
TAZARA has increasingly been viewed as a strategic alternative to the US and European Union-backed Lobito Corridor. Both routes seek to improve access to international markets for mineral-producing countries, particularly Zambia and the DRC.
Connecting the two railway systems could create greater transport flexibility for exporters and strengthen links between inland economies and ports serving different international shipping routes.
Angola seeks Tanzanian participation in oil refinery project
Beyond railway infrastructure, Angola has also invited Tanzania to invest in an oil refinery, Hassan said.
Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), the country’s state energy company, is assessing the viability of a potential partnership in the Lobito oil refinery project.
The proposed investment would expand economic cooperation between the two countries into the energy sector, although Tanzania has not announced whether it intends to take an equity position.
East Africa’s refinery investment plans
Tanzania is also considering other refinery investment opportunities in the region.
The country has not disclosed whether it will acquire an equity stake in the refinery being developed in Kenya by Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote. East African governments have been offered a 30% stake in the project, with Rwanda and Kenya having committed to buying shares so far.
Separately, Tanzania and Uganda are discussing plans to jointly develop another refinery in Tanzania’s port city of Tanga.
The discussions reflect broader efforts among East African governments to expand regional energy infrastructure, improve domestic refining capacity and strengthen cooperation in petroleum supply chains.
Taken together, the proposed railway connection and refinery discussions point to expanding infrastructure and industrial cooperation between East and Southern Africa. The railway initiative, in particular, could strengthen trade links between the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts, although its eventual impact will depend on financing arrangements, construction timelines and coordination across the countries involved.
