The Lobito Corridor may be the newest player in Africa’s infrastructure landscape, but it is rapidly gaining attention as the United States seeks to challenge China’s dominance over critical minerals in southern Africa’s landlocked regions.In December, US President Joe Biden visited Angola for the first time, holding discussions with leaders from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia. Speaking at a special briefing on Biden’s trip, Dr Frances Brown, special assistant to the President and senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council, described Angola as a pivotal partner for the US. “Our relationship with Angola has completely transformed over the past 30 years, and that transformation has accelerated over the last three years. In 2023, US-Angola trade totalled approximately $1.77 billion, making Angola our fourth-largest trade partner in sub-Saharan Africa,” she said.To date, the US has invested millions of dollars in the Lobito Corridor, recognising its strategic importance in securing access to vast reserves of copper, cobalt, lithium and other critical minerals. With global demand for these resources set to soar in the coming decades, securing diversified supply chains is imperative. China, through its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative launched in 2013, has already established a stronghold in Africa’s resource sector. The US, in response, is working to close the gap and the Lobito Corridor has become a cornerstone of this effort. It is considered one of the most significant transport infrastructure projects the US has supported in Africa in a generation.Stretching from the Port of Lobito in Angola to the DRC and Zambia, the corridor provides these mineral-rich nations with greater export options, enhancing their access to international markets. Zambian Minister of Infrastructure, Charles Lubasi Milupi, underscored the importance of the project during an interview with Freight News. “We are aiming to achieve the levels of GDP growth that China has reached. To do this, we need our economic sectors to perform. For Zambia, mining is critical. We have the minerals, but getting them to markets and production centres worldwide is vital.”Milupi emphasised that while exports to the East remained a priority, developments around the Lobito Corridor were equally significant for trade with the West. “The Zambian government, along with Angola and the DRC, welcomes the progress being made on the Lobito Corridor,” he said, highlighting its role in driving economic growth and fostering regional collaboration.The Lobito Corridor symbolises a broader shift in US-Africa relations, ref lecting renewed American interest in the continent’s economic potential while challenging established global players in the race for critical minerals. LV
