Luanda, Feb. 4, 2026 (Lusa) - Angola's government and the World Bank are launching a new regional coordination mechanism in Luanda on Thursday to accelerate the implementation of structural projects in the Lobito Corridor.
According to a note from the Angolan Ministry of Planning, the inaugural coordination meeting on the Lobito Corridor is presented as a "new and robust regional coordination mechanism, designed to accelerate the development of this strategic corridor linking the interior of the African continent to global markets".
The event brings together senior government officials from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Zambia, as well as representatives from multilateral and bilateral organisations, financial institutions, and international development partners.
The new mechanism aims to create a more robust, regular and coordinated working structure with the aim of accelerating the development of structural projects in vital areas such as rail transport and integrated logistics; trade facilitation and infrastructure modernisation; sustainable energy; development of agricultural and mineral value chains; and promotion of economic and social development along the corridor.
The World Bank's Director General of Operations, Anna Bjerde, who will be present at this high-level meeting, will meet with Angola's president, João Lourenço, to analyse the World Bank's impact in Angola and common regional priorities, according to a statement from the institution.
In January 2026, the World Bank's portfolio in Angola amounted to approximately $4.9 billion (€4.2 billion), including $4.78 billion (€4 billion) distributed across 18 national projects and $150 million (€127 million) committed to a regional operation.
Discussions also include regional priorities such as expanding access to energy under the Mission 300 initiative, strengthening agriculture and agribusiness value chains through AgriConnect, and increasing digital access and connectivity, according to information released by the World Bank.
The Lobito Corridor is a railway infrastructure that starts at the Port of Lobito in Angola, crossing the country for 1,300 kilometres to the border with the DRC, where it connects to the railway network of the Congolese mining regions, with plans to extend it to Zambia.
RCR/ADB // ADB.
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