Bie, Angola, July 3, 2025 (Lusa) — The Angolan government will launch "in the next 60 days" an international public tender for the concession of the Moçâmedes Railway, also known as the Southern Corridor, announced the Secretary of State for Land Transport in Bié on Thursday.
Jorge Bengue, who was part of the delegation of European Union ambassadors visiting the provinces of Huambo and Bié, stressed that the experience gained with the Lobito Corridor had made it possible to speed up preparations for the next stage: "It took us about three years to prepare the concession for the Lobito Corridor. It was a learning experience. Now we are about to launch the tender for the Southern Corridor."
The visit, which is part of the monitoring of projects financed and co-financed by the European Union (EU) in the Lobito Corridor, aimed to observe European initiatives on the ground.
The delegation, led by the EU delegation in Angola, includes nine of the ten diplomats and their representatives accredited in Angola, as well as other entities related to infrastructure, chambers of commerce and central and local government officials.
The Moçâmedes Corridor concession includes not only the management and operation of the railway line linking the interior of Huíla province to the port of Namibe, but also its future interconnection with Namibia and the redevelopment of the port of Namibe, transforming it into a regional logistics platform.
"The operator that wins the tender will have the option of connecting Angola with Namibia," said the minister.
The railway link between the Lobito Corridor and Zambia is also moving forward, with studies already completed and the financial structuring phase underway, he added.
The strategy is part of the 2023-2028 Railway Sector Development Programme, which provides for a total investment of US$12.2 billion (around €10.34 billion), with funding shared between public and private funds.
The proposal to grant the Moçâmedes Corridor concession comes at a time when Angola wants to enhance its logistics and transport hubs, with the aim of making the Southern Corridor a driver of industrial and mining development.
The plan includes six railway concessions on the three major existing lines: the Benguela Railway (CFB), part of the Lobito Corridor and concessioned to Lobito Atlantic Railway, the Moçâmedes Railway (CFM) and the Luanda Railway (CFL).
According to Jorge Bengue, the Moçâmedes Corridor has "different characteristics" from Lobito.
While the latter currently serves regional freight transport, mainly minerals from Congo, the Southern Corridor is more geared towards the movement of freight resulting from domestic production, particularly large-scale mining.
"We are upgrading and expanding the port of Namibe to complement the two infrastructures and then have what we want, which is efficient performance of the corridor itself and to begin taking steps towards interconnection with Namibia," he explained.
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