Lobito Corridor could double DR Congo freight exports by December
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Deskeco
The Lobito Corridor could increase the DR Congo’s freight export capacity from 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes per month by December 2026, according to a report by the Centre for Research in Public Finance and Local Development. The project includes six daily trains and 1,500 jobs over five years, reports Deskeco.
The Lobito Corridor could raise the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s freight export capacity to 20,000 tonnes per month by December 2026, from 10,000 tonnes currently. The estimate appears in a report by the Centre for Research in Public Finance and Local Development (Crefdl), cited by Deskeco.
The project provides for six trains a day entering and leaving the DR Congo, with 1,555 container wagons and 49 line locomotives, including 35 allocated to Angola and 14 to the DR Congo. Transit time between the Congolese border and the terminal at the port of Lobito, Angola, could eventually be reduced to eight days, according to Crefdl.
The development of this 1,739-kilometre railway link between Kolwezi and Lobito should also reduce the number of lorries on the roads, road accidents and carbon emissions. Some 1,500 workers could be employed over the next five years. Crefdl recommends that the DR Congo finance pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, while strengthening the project’s governance, transparency and public participation.
