Lobito: The strategy for securing the infrastructure of the Lobito Corridor dominated the meeting held on Wednesday between the commander of the Central Military Region (RMC), Lieutenant General Simo Carlitos Wala, and the CEO of the Benguela Railway, António Cabral. The commander of the RMC, which covers the provinces of Benguela, Huambo and Bié, crossed by the Lobito Corridor, in addition to Cuanza-Sul, said the meeting aimed to analyze the protection plan for the technicians and resources of this important infrastructure, with the aim of guaranteeing security for investors.

According to Angola Press News Agency, the Lieutenant General stated that this initiative falls within the framework of the Railway Contingency Operation, aligning with the State’s strategic objectives to prevent potential acts of vandalism and sabotage, and to ensure the free and safe movement of freight and passenger trains. The CEO of CFB added that the security plan comes at a timely moment, given the global attention that the Lobi
to Corridor has garnered.

The Lobito Corridor, extending approximately 1,344 kilometers, connects the Atlantic coast of Lobito to the border city of Luau, in the eastern part of the country, traversing five provinces: Benguela, Huambo, Bié, Moxico, and Moxico-East. This corridor holds a structuring influence on the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) area and serves as a primary route for goods movement.

As a strategic route for the country’s economic diversification potential, the Lobito Corridor links 40 percent of the country’s population and stimulates significant investments in agriculture and trade. The five provinces along the corridor are crucial for agricultural development, supporting value chains in grains such as corn, soy, wheat, and rice, along with tubers, beans, vegetables, and fruits.

Internationally recognized as the route of the two oceans, the corridor connects the Atlantic and Indian oceans by land. It is also considered the main alternative route to export markets for
countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, providing a shorter path to the principal mining areas of these two nations near the Indian Ocean.