The Lobito Atlantic Rail Corridor

Last year, at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, we talked about the Lobito Corridor. The Lobito Atlantic Rail Corridor has just reached a historic milestone with the export of the first shipment of copper from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United States. This route, completed in just six days, demonstrates the effectiveness of this new western route for the export of minerals and metals from the Congolese Copperbelt.

Arriving at the port of Lobito in Angola, the cargo of copper cathodes is now heading to Baltimore aboard the MSC SAMU ship. This success marks a strategic turning point for the export of critical minerals such as copper and cobalt, which are essential to the global energy transition.

The Lobito corridor thus becomes a key axis for Africa's economic development, linking the DRC, Angola and Zambia, all members of the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area).