AFC-led Zambia Lobito Rail Project receives boost from Biden visit to Angola

Share this article

*Lobito rail project will break ground by early 2026, AFC CEO Zubairu says at Presidential forum

*AFC commits up to US$500m in financing for Zambia-Lobito greenfield rail

*AFC announces MOU with Kobold Metals as anchor client, guaranteeing at least 300,000 tons of copper and related freight per year

*AFC pledges US$100 million to Kobaloni Energy for Zambia’s first battery-grade copper sulphate facility

By Oke Peter
Luanda – The Zambia-Lobito Rail project received pivotal support from US President Joe Biden’s just concluded visit to Angola, with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) as the lead developer announcing a series of commitments that underscore the project’s urgency and transformative potential to deliver economic benefits that transcend borders.

In a speech at the Lobito Corridor Leaders Summit, co-hosted by President Biden and President Joao Lourenço of Angola, and attended by Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, Vice President of Tanzania and representation from the private sector, AFC’s President and CEO Samaila Zubairu announced that the Zambia-Lobito greenfield rail project will break ground by early 2026. AFC is committed to mobilising $500 million in financing through various financial instruments, Mr. Zubairu said, bringing overall project financing to over $1 billion.

Zambia Lobito Rail Project

Among a series of additional announcements, Mr. Zubairu said AFC has established a Memorandum of Understanding with critical minerals enterprise KoBold Metals as an anchor client, securing a minimum of 300,000 tons of copper and related freight annually. AFC has also committed $100 million to Kobaloni Energy to support Zambia’s first battery-grade copper sulphate facility, ensuring sustained movement of cargo on the new railway.

“This project symbolizes what Africa’s leadership, together with our global partners, can achieve when we unite behind a shared vision,” Mr. Zubairu said in his speech at the forum. “It is not just about railways or minerals or food security — it is about fostering partnerships, creating jobs, and driving a sustainable future for Africa and the world.”

The Lobito Corridor will connect the Port of Lobito on Angola’s Atlantic coast with Zambia through modernized rail infrastructure. Plans are underway to extend connectivity to Tanzania’s Port of Dar es Salaam, linking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and strengthening regional trade and integration across East and Southern Africa.

AFC intends to collaborate with other multilateral development banks and financial institutions to develop instruments that attract global institutional capital. Additionally, AFC will engage African pension funds to invest, promoting generational sustainability.

The summit showcased significant progress in the development of the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor. The project is led by the Lobito Corridor consortium, with AFC as the as lead developer, working in partnership with the US Government, the European Union, the African Development Bank and the governments of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

Zambia Lobito Rail Project

“The rapid pace at which we are moving reflects the urgency of the type of development Africans are demanding from their leaders, and the conviction of this consortium to execute,” Mr. Zubairu told the summit. “The Lobito Corridor is more than just a rail line—it is an economic corridor that provides a lower-cost, lower-carbon gateway to African integration and global competitiveness.”

At the 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September, AFC achieved a major milestone by signing concession agreements with the Governments of Angola and Zambia to extend the Lobito railway through Zambia’s Copperbelt. This entails the construction of an 830km greenfield rail line connecting the Benguela rail line in Lucano, Angola, to the existing Zambian rail line in Chingola. Simultaneously, AFC received grant funding from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) towards completion of the environmental and social impact assessment for the project. These achievements, realised within one year of the 7-party MoU signed at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels in 2023, highlight AFC’s catalytic role in driving the project’s rapid progress.

Once completed, the Lobito Corridor will offer the fastest and most efficient route for exports and imports, linking key mining regions, agricultural clusters and businesses in Zambia and DRC to the Port of Lobito, Mr. Zubairu said. The rail link will cut travel time from the Copperbelt to international markets from 45 days to just seven, significantly lowering costs. Shifting freight from road to rail will reduce emissions by at least 300,000 tons of CO2 annually, underscoring Africa’s leadership in the global energy transition and efforts to decarbonize the battery minerals value chain—particularly in producing battery precursors for both American industries and global markets, Mr. Zubairu told the summit it will also catalyse opportunities in ecotourism, agribusiness, and power transmission lines.

Beyond the greenfield railway, AFC is the Financial Advisor for the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium, concessionaires of the existing Benguela railway stretching across Angola and into the Democratic Republic of Congo.


Share this article

23 thoughts on “AFC-led Zambia Lobito Rail Project receives boost from Biden visit to Angola

  1. WPS官网下载WPS Office: 一站式办公服务平台: 新升级,无广告,AI办公更高效. 立即下载. 登录使用. WPS 365: 面向组织和企业的WPS 365: 一站式AI办公,生产力即刻起飞. 了解更多. 咨询,记忆体占用低,体积轻运行快. 将文字、表格、演示、PDF等融合为一个组件。

  2. HelloWord翻译Hello World聊天翻译助手专注于为出海企业提供高质量的即时聊天翻译服务,专业聊天翻译技术,极速稳定收发,全球畅游,使用邮箱免费注册登录体验,专业翻译技术团队开发,超数百家企业信赖,支持whatsapp Line Tinder Twitter Instagram Telegram Zalo Facebook Badoo Bumble Quora Linkedin googleVoice Crisp Hangouts TextNow VK等软件的实时聊天翻译,无限网页多开。支持facebook群发,whastsapp群发,googleVoice群发

  3. 有道词典是由网易有道出品的全球首款基于搜索引擎技术的全能免费语言翻译软件。简介. 支持中文、英语、日语、韩语、法语、德语、俄语、西班牙语、葡萄牙语、藏语、西语等109种语言翻译。拍照翻译、语音翻译、对话翻译、在线翻译、离线翻译更顺畅。更多的翻译 https://www.youdaoo.com

  4. https://fckmeplease.lat/nrbcgqcimjjfdie Our dating platform was created for people looking for real connections. If it’s friendship or love, we bring people together to form meaningful relationships. Discover singles near you or explore the excitement of international connections. Share your story through an extensive profile and draw people who are similar to you. Our intelligent matching system ensures that you are in sync from the beginning. Start meaningful conversations and nurture connections that are important. With us, safety and privacy is the top priority. Discover exciting options that can make dating exciting and fun. Find a person who makes you smile every single day. Find your perfect partner now, don’t let them wait all day!

  5. Esta página tem definitivamente toda a informação que eu queria sobre este assunto e não sabia a quem perguntar. Este é o meu primeiro comentário aqui, então eu só queria dar um rápido

  6. Hello! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thanks a ton!

  7. Spend $65 more and get free shipping! Liquid brushes are flat brushes that can be painted thick or thin. Feel free to draw delicate lines or broad strokes at the end of your brows to fill in missing brows. To share the knowledge gained from all our in-office and real-life experimentation, we've rounded up our favorite, long-lasting products for filling in, thickening, brushing out, and holding our brows in place. Everything is accounted for — powders, gels, pens, pomades, and pencils — plus the most genius tips and tricks we've learned from makeup artists (and each other) along the way on how to use our go-to tools.  Doesn’t fill in gaps Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website. A 2-in-1 brow pencil that easily achieves the ideal ombré brow with a delicate tinting liquid and soft wax powder. Resists sweat, sebum and water to keep brows beautiful all day long.
    https://www.nest-studios.com/forum/general-discussions/benefit-eyeliner-review
    A Part of Hearst Digital Media Stores will close at 1 am and reopen at 5 pm Friday. Are you ready for the Ulta Beauty Black Friday 2023 ad? We will bring you info about the biggest and best deals and discounts here when the savings are announced online or in an advertisement for between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday 2023.We are committed to helping you find the best shopping deals of the year from Amazon Prime Day to Thanksgiving Weekend.So get ready to save in 2023, 2024 and beyond! Visit NerdWallet to view the complete Ulta Black Friday ad. Plus, just for the Black Friday sale, you can get select mascaras from Urban Decay, Buxom, Smashbox and Tarte for only $10. Get the Grow Gorgeous Original Hair Density Serum (originally $35) on sale for just $18 at Ulta! Thanksgiving is so close, and while you’re still counting down the minutes until you get to eat yourself into oblivion, there’s another big day coming up that you need to prepare for: Black Friday. The latest 2018 Ulta Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals are going to have you filling up your wishlist well in advance of the sale itself.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *