Luanda, May 8, 2025 (Lusa) - Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), the consortium managing the Lobito Corridor, which includes Portugal's Mota-Engil, has a new chairman of the board of directors, Frenchman Nicolas Fournier, the administration of the Port of Lobito announced on Thursday.
According to a statement from the Port of Lobito administration, the French manager, who succeeds Portuguese Francisco Franca, was introduced on Monday at a ceremony chaired by Celso Rosas, the president of the Angolan port unit.
The Lobito Corridor is an infrastructure linking the Port of Lobito, on Angola's Atlantic coast, to the mineral-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) via a 1,300-kilometre railway line that crosses the country, connecting Angola to the DRC and the rest of Central Africa.
LAR, which includes Mota-Engil, Swiss company Trafigura and Belgian company Vecturis, obtained a 30-year concession in 2022 to operate and manage the Lobito Corridor and the ore terminal at the Port of Lobito.
Celso Rosas highlighted the actions taken over the last two years by the previous management, noting that, from the signing of the terminal concession contract to the arrival of the first ore-carrying ships, their commitment had been "crucial" in consolidating the role of the Port of Lobito "as a fundamental hub" of the Corridor.
The president of that port, located in the Angolan province of Benguela, also expressed confidence that the new president of LAR would continue the pace of work and the results already achieved.
Francisco Franca, quoted in the statement, considered that the partnership between the Port of Lobito and LAR "is solid, prosperous and has a long-term horizon," noting that in the coming days, the port should receive new shipments of the more than 9,000 containers acquired by LAR.
He also announced that the company plans to run nine weekly trains carrying ore in the coming days, five of which will be international, with a rail operation linking Lobito to the Democratic Republic of Congo in just six days.
DAS/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
