Lobito: Experts from the Lobito Corridor Transit Facilitation Agency (AFTTCL) are finalizing the agenda for the second meeting of the Agency’s Committee of Transport Ministers from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. According to Angola Press News Agency, the proposed budget for the support facility will be a key topic of discussion, alongside funding mechanisms and sources, harmonization protocols, policies, and operational manuals for the executive secretariat.
The agenda also includes deliberations on a proposed intergovernmental agreement aimed at implementing the Lobito dry port to facilitate access for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Other critical points of discussion will focus on draft legislation and a sustainability model and strategy developed to enhance trade facilitation within the Lobito corridor.
Scheduled for January 22, the meeting will serve to review and assess progress made in accelerating the implementation of the AFTTCL program. A significant highlight will be the inauguration of the AFTTCL headquarters in this strategic railway port city.
The first meeting of the AFTTCL Committee of Ministers was held in Lobito on December 14. This was subsequent to the tripartite agreement of the organization, signed on January 27, 2024, by the corridor’s member states, covering a 1,344-kilometer railway line that links the Atlantic coast with eastern Angola.
The agreement provides a framework for the three member states to collaborate on developing harmonized laws, policies, regulations, and systems for the corridor. It also emphasizes the coordinated and coherent development of infrastructure in alignment with the provisions of the SADC Treaty, Protocol, and Frameworks, including the SADC Strategic Indicative Development Plan.
This partnership is crucial for enabling the DRC and Zambia, as landlocked countries, to leverage the logistics and transport infrastructure of the Lobito corridor, such as the port and the Benguela railway, to facilitate the transportation of goods, primarily copper and cobalt ores, from Katanga and the Copperbelt.
