Angola Seeks $4.5 Billion to Build Rail Link Connecting Zambia’s Copperbelt
Angola Secures International Support for $4.5B Zambia-Lobito Rail Corridor to Boost Copper Trade
Angola sought $4.5 billion in funding to construct an ambitious rail link to Zambia’s copper-rich region, Transport Minister Ricardo Viegas d’Abreu said.
Italy committed $320 million to the project, while the African Development Bank pledged $500 million, d’Abreu told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of a conference in Luanda, Angola’s capital. He also noted that the Egyptian government had recently expressed interest in financing the initiative.
The new Zambian spur is part of the larger Lobito Corridor project, which aims to enhance regional trade in minerals and agricultural products.
The total cost estimate for the U.S.-backed 800-kilometer project is significantly higher than earlier projections.
Construction is scheduled to begin next year. The Africa Finance Corporation, which secured the concession to oversee the project, has not yet finalized a price before putting the work out to tender in the coming months.
The rail link will connect Zambia’s copper mines to Angola’s existing Lobito line, which stretches from the Atlantic port city into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This will be the largest rail investment in Zambia since the 1970s, when China helped build a line linking the Copperbelt to an Indian Ocean port.
The project comes as Zambia and neighboring Congo expand copper production to meet rising global demand amid record metal prices for copper, widely used in electrical wiring.
The European Union also expressed interest in financing the Zambia-Lobito corridor, d’Abreu said, though without specifying amounts.
While the U.S., under former President Joe Biden, supported the Lobito Corridor along the existing Angolan rail line to Congo, progress has been slow.
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation approved a $553 million loan for the Angolan section in June 2024, but the funds have not yet been disbursed. D’Abreu indicated the disbursement would occur later this year.
