Luanda, July 2, 2026 (Lusa) - Angola's government is to carry out “high-resolution” mapping along the Lobito Corridor, one of the country’s main logistics and rail routes, as part of the Angocorredores initiative launched in Benguela province on Thursday.
Angola’s minister of agriculture and forestry announced the initiative on Thursday in Benguela province, home to the Lobito Corridor – a logistics and rail route linking the Porto of Lobito, on Angola’s Atlantic coast, to the provinces of Huambo, Bié and Moxico, extending as far as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with future expansion planned to include Zambia.
In his speech, Isaac dos Anjos noted that Agrocorredores is a platform for bringing together public and private investment, government programmes, development partners and financial institutions.
“We have decided to begin this journey along the Lobito Corridor. This choice is a deliberate one,” he said, adding that this logistics and rail axis “represents one of the most important economic infrastructure projects in Southern Africa and offers a unique opportunity to transform the agricultural potential of the provinces it passes through into wealth, employment and development”.
According to Isaac dos Anjos, the survey along the Lobito Corridor will cover approximately 100 kilometres on either side of the railway line, spanning a total length of around 1,500 kilometres.
He emphasised that this exercise aims to identify production areas, natural resources, irrigation systems, existing infrastructure, agro-industrial hubs, investment opportunities and priority areas for intervention.
“We want future decisions to be taken on the basis of sound information, concrete evidence and strategic planning,” he stated.
Regarding the Agrocorredores initiative, he highlighted that it would cover productive territories and priority value chains.
The aim, added Isaac dos Anjos, is “to ensure that investments in roads, railways, irrigation, energy, technical assistance, mechanisation, agro-industry, storage and financing work in a coordinated manner to generate greater economic and social impact”.
He stressed that this initiative builds on existing efforts and mobilises new investment to accelerate the sector’s transformation.
He also highlighted that the Unit for Public Policy Integration and Coordination of the Transformation of Agricultural and Agri-Food Systems has been established, responsible for monitoring and coordinating the activities of the main agricultural projects funded by multilateral partners along Angola’s economic corridors.
In its efforts to develop this sector, Angola is supported by the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the European Union, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Isaac dos Anjos emphasised that the initiative will promote greater coordination, optimise efforts and ensure a more efficient use of available resources.
In Bié province, the initiative envisages a pilot scheme, “which will become the first implementation laboratory for Agrocorredores”, incorporating irrigation systems adapted to local conditions and solar energy solutions to reduce production costs, amongst other measures.
NME/ADB // ADB.
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