Transport and logistics minister Frank Tayali, M.P, and his Angolan counterpart Ricardo Daniel Sandao Queiros de Abreu last month signed the Lobito Corridor Railway Development Concessioning Agreement with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) in New York.
The signing ceremony took place on the margins of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
The AFC, the lead developers of the project, was represented by its President and Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu.
Speaking after the ceremony, Honourable Tayali described the event as a milestone as it now concludes the envisaged desire for Zambia to be a transport and logistics hub.
The AFC announced the completion of the key feasibility study and signed a concession agreement with the governments of Zambia and Angola to develop and operate the rail. The new transportation infrastructure will connect the two countries for the first time and is expected to commence in early 2026. The connectivity will unlock Zambia’s Copperbelt and spur economic integration and inclusive growth across borders.
At the same event, the US Trade and Development Agency announced a $2 million grant for an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the rail project, which will ensure it is delivered according to the highest international standards.
Meanwhile, Hon Tayali, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Hon Mulambo Haimbe and infrastructure minister Hon Charles Milupi attended a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) Lobito Corridor roundtable hosted by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The high-level discussion advanced the PGI’s flagship Lobito Corridor, aiming to develop trans-continental connectivity from the Atlantic to Indian Oceans.
Participants included the foreign affairs ministers of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia, the European Partnerships Commissioner, and the Italian Vice Foreign Minister, alongside the CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation and the Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Human Development of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Dr Lawrence Mwananyanda, President Hakainde Hichilema’s Special Assistant for Project Implementation and Monitoring, was also in attendance.
The roundtable showcased the Consortium’s progress on the Lobito Corridor since the signing of the seven-side Memorandum of Understanding for infrastructure investment last year. This included key milestones for the new Greenfield Zambia-Lobito Railway Line, building toward the continent’s first open-access rail network.