The Lobito Corridor

The Lobito Corridor is a 1,300 km railway project in Angola designed to transport critical raw materials (CRMs) and electric vehicle (EV) battery value chain products from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to the EU and US. While supported by various MoUs and a consortium including Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis, the project faces significant competition from established Chinese supply chains and alternative transport routes to the Indian Ocean.

• The Lobito Corridor consists of a 1,300 km railway line from the port of Lobito on Angola's Atlantic coast to Luau on the border with the DRC, with a further 400 km extension into the DRC reaching the mining town of Kolwezi.
• The corridor's operation has been concessioned to a consortium where Trafigura and Mota-Engil each hold a 49.5% stake, and Vecturis holds 1%.
• The project is driven by a projected surge in demand for critical raw materials between 2020 and 2040, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimating that demand for lithium will increase by more than forty times, graphite by twenty-five times, and nickel and cobalt by twenty times.
• The viability of the Lobito Corridor is challenged by China's existing dominance in CRM supply chains and its move to take over the TAZARA railway line, which connects central Zambia to the port of Dar es Salaam.
• The EU and US face technological disadvantages in the EV sector, with approximately 90% of cell component manufacturing concentrated in Asia.

APA

Chabala, E. D. W. (2024). The Lobito Corridor. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/de/afrika-globaler-sueden-sued-sued-kooperation-en

Chicago

Chabala, E. D. Wala. The Lobito Corridor. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/de/afrika-globaler-sueden-sued-sued-kooperation-en.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chabala |first1=E. D. Wala |title=The Lobito Corridor |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=2 February 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/de/afrika-globaler-sueden-sued-sued-kooperation-en |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chabala2024lobito, author = {Chabala, E. D. Wala}, title = {{The Lobito Corridor}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://afripoli.org/de/afrika-globaler-sueden-sued-sued-kooperation-en}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }