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Benguela — The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, arrived on Wednesday at Catumbela International Airport (Angola’s western Benguela province), to participate in the Multilateral Summit on the Lobito Corridor.
Upon his arrival, Joe Biden received welcome greetings from Angolan President João Lourenço. The two statesmen join their counterparts from DR Congo, Félix Tchissekedi, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilem, and Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango, who are also participating in the Summit.
In brief moments, Joe Biden interacted with the cultural group Bimba das Acácias, which presented a welcome cultural exhibition. On the occasion, he showed off some dance steps and played drum.
Issues related to the development and expansion of the Lobito Corridor will be at the center of the discussions, which take place at the facilities of the largest manufacturing unit in the country.
The expectation at this summit is the announcement of new investments in the Corridor’s infrastructure, especially in its second phase.
This phase includes the construction of 800 new kilometers of the railway line that crosses Angola, DRC and Zambia, which will add to the 1,344 km already existing and which are being renewed.
The aim is to reduce the transit time for goods from southern Zambia and the DRC and vice versa, from the current 45 days to less than a week.
Since Monday in Angola, on this trip to Benguela, Joe Biden will also learn about the factory of the Grupo Carrinho and will visit the Port of Lobito, which is an important infrastructure of the Lobito Corridor.
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President Biden visited the National Museum of Slavery in Luanda province on Tuesday, where he spoke to hundreds of people, including government officials, parliamentarians, diplomats and members of civil society.
The Lobito Corridor is a strategic route of great economic and logistical importance for Angola, neighboring countries and the Southern African region. It connects the Port of Lobito, located on Angola’s Atlantic coast, with the country’s inland regions and landlocked countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
This important corridor serves as an essential route for the export and import of goods, particularly minerals such as copper, cobalt, and other resources mined in the DRC and Zambia. It offers access to the global market, reducing logistics costs for these countries.
With continuous investments and international partnerships, the Lobito Corridor has the potential to become one of the main transport and trade hubs in Africa, it also stimulates the economic growth of Angola’s inland provinces.
The United States has invested significantly in the Lobito Corridor, with a recent financial contribution of US$1.3 billion.
This amount was made official in May 2024, as part of agreements signed between the US and Angolan governments.
The funding is earmarked for three major corridor-related infrastructure projects, with a focus on transport, renewable energy and connectivity. CRB/DOJ
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