This is a flagship public-private partnership (PPP) project central to the Lobito Corridor initiative, which is a priority for regional integration under the African Union's Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). The port expansion is intrinsically linked to a 30-year concession (awarded in July 2022) for the Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor, held by the Lobito Corridor Concessionaire (LCC), a consortium of Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis. The project has garnered significant international political and financial support, notably through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2023 between the governments of the United States, Angola, the DRC, Zambia, and the European Union to develop the Lobito Corridor. Financing is expected from a mix of private investment from the concessionaire and support from development finance institutions like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The project aims to establish the most efficient transport route for minerals from the Copperbelt to global markets.
The Lobito Port Expansion and Modernization Project is a major infrastructure initiative to transform the Port of Lobito into a modern, high-capacity Atlantic gateway for the Lobito Corridor. The project scope includes the construction of a new 1,250-meter multipurpose terminal with three berths, dredging of the access channel to -16.5 meters, and the installation of modern container handling equipment, including ship-to-shore gantry cranes. It also involves expanding the container yard, building new warehouses for bulk and general cargo, and enhancing rail-port connectivity through the rehabilitation of the Lobito Corridor railway linking Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Zambia. The project is designed to increase the port's annual container handling capacity from approximately 200,000 TEUs to over 1 million TEUs. Key stakeholders include the Government of Angola (Ministry of Transport), the Port of Lobito Authority (APL), the Lobito Corridor Concessionaire (a consortium of Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis), and international development partners like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). A significant recent development was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2023 between the U.S., EU, Angola, DRC, and Zambia to support the Lobito Corridor, including the port.
1. Increase the port's annual container handling capacity from approximately 200,000 TEUs to over 1 million TEUs. 2. Reduce average vessel waiting time from over 5 days to less than 24 hours and cut cargo dwell time from 15 days to 7 days. 3. Facilitate the export of at least 1.5 million tonnes of minerals (primarily copper and cobalt) annually from the DRC and Zambia via the Lobito Corridor by 2030. 4. Enhance Angola's position as a regional transport and logistics hub, aiming to capture 30% of the container traffic for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region's Atlantic seaboard. 5. Create an estimated 1,000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs during the construction and operational phases in Benguela Province.