The first draft of the feasibility study on the development of the Zambia-Lobito Railway Project has been completed, Zambia’s Minister of Finance, Situmbeko Musokwane said when he presented the 2026 budget in parliament.
Zambia has already signed a concession agreement for the development of the Zambia-Lobito Railway Project, which will provide connectivity to the Lobito Port in Angola.
The Lobito corridor consists of a 1,300 km railway line from the port of Lobito to Luau on Angola’s northeastern border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the North-Western Province of Zambia.
Further progress made on this project includes the completion of the first draft of the feasibility study and environmental and social studies, selection of a contractor and raising of capital are underway.
Zambia is excited about the prospects of both the Lobito Railway and the Tanzania Zambia Railway (TAZARA) making Zambia’s dream of being the transport hub that connects the east and west coasts of Africa come true in a few years.
The Lobito Railway Corridor is funded by a number of partners, including the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the US Government, the European Union (EU), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and private companies within the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium, such as Trafigura and Mota-Engil.
The US has provided a US$550m loan to support the Lobito venture, which involves refurbishing an existing railway through Angola and extending it into Congo’s mining province as part of the first phase of the project.
DBSA has also approved funding of up to US$200 million towards the Lobito Corridor Railway Project in Angola, alongside the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
Zambia has, over the years, been transitioning from a landlocked to a truly land-linked country. Zambia is realising this transformation through deliberate interventions in the development, modernisation and maintenance of road, rail, air and water transport infrastructure.
The country is doing this through government financing, Public Private Partnerships and support from development partners.
The strategic focus is to connect Zambia to all neighbouring countries and to regional and international markets.
Furthermore, Zambia has concluded tripartite negotiations with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to sign the concession agreement for Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority.
The signing ceremony is expected before the end of this year. Under the concession, railway infrastructure will be rehabilitated to enable efficient transportation of minerals, agricultural products, other essential goods and passengers on the TAZARA corridor.
The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) is expected to invest US$1.4 billion to upgrade the TAZARA railway, which is an important route for copper exports from central Africa.
