PROJECT # 0030

Angola, Lobito/Benguela Corridor: Feasibility Study and Detailed Projects for the CFB Rail Link to Zambia

Angola, Zambia and D.R. Congo are collaborating to integrate their rail and road networks along the Lobito Corridor. The western rail link from the Copper-belt to the Angolan port of Lobito is a game-changing as it provides a new and shorter rail link for mining exports and imports than Dar es Salaam, Beira or Walvis Bay Corridors. Historically there was a rail link between Ndola and Lobito through D.R. Congo, but it was destroyed.

In October 2020, a Preliminary Feasibility Study for the connection of the Benguela railways (CFB) with Zambia, for a total of 259 km was completed. The reconstruction process of the Benguela Railway Line is scheduled to reach the Zambian border in Mwinilunga. Angola has already completed work on the 1 348 km Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) railway line to the Congolese border, and the Lobito port has also been upgraded. In January 2023, Angola, D.R. Cogo and Zambia signed the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency Agreement (LCTTFA) that will accelerate growth in domestic and cross-border trade along the Corridor through the implementation of harmonised trade facilitation instruments, strengthening coordination of joint corridor development activities, and fostering effective participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in value chains.