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This research paper examines the economic activities and value-addition potential of the Lobito Corridor, a strategic transport route linking the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola to the Copperbelt mining regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia via the Benguela Railway. The author argues that while the corridor is designed to catalyze economic development beyond mineral exports, there is a significant disconnect between the high-efficiency logistics used for raw material exports and the inadequate infrastructure available to local small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Lobito Corridor is a strategic transport route designed to move critical raw materials (CRMs) from the Copperbelt of the DRC and Zambia to the Atlantic coast of Angola for export to the US and EU. While it promises economic transformation and local industrialization, the project faces significant geopolitical competition from China, sustainability risks related to human rights and artisanal mining, and financial uncertainty stemming from the US political landscape under the Trump presidency.

This report chapter provides a military history of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), tracing its evolution from the liberation movements of the 1960s through the Angolan Civil War to its status as a peacetime national institution. It details the integration of three primary military wings—FAPLA, ELNA, and FALA—and the significant role of foreign intervention from the Soviet Union, Cuba, the United States, Zaire, and South Africa in shaping the conflict and the eventual formation of the FAA.