Lobito Corridor Attracts Over $6 Billion as Global Investors Back Africa’s Critical Minerals Route
International investor momentum behind the Lobito Corridor continues to strengthen, with global financial commitments to the strategic regional infrastructure project now exceeding USD 6 billion.
Linking the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, and Zambia to international markets via Angola’s Port of Lobito, the corridor is increasingly regarded as a cornerstone of Africa’s critical minerals supply chains and regional industrial integration.
In December 2025, project stakeholders finalized a USD 535 million financing package to advance implementation.
The package was co-financed by the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, Trafigura, Mota-Engil, Vecturis, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
The funding supports the rehabilitation of the 1,289-kilometre Benguela Railway, a key logistics corridor connecting the Port of Lobito to the mineral-rich regions of the DRC.
This followed the issuance of an engineering, procurement, and construction tender in October 2025, clearing the way for full-scale execution.
To date, the United States has committed more than USD 4 billion to the broader Lobito Corridor initiative.
European involvement expanded significantly throughout 2025. Nearly EUR 57 million in grants were allocated to mining, transport, and energy projects along the Angolan segment of the corridor, while the European Union announced an additional EUR 200 million for investments in energy, water, transport, and mining infrastructure in Zambia.
These commitments form part of the EU’s pledge of more than EUR 2 billion to the Lobito Corridor under its Global Gateway framework, reflecting Europe’s strategic objective of securing diversified and resilient mineral supply chains.
Private sector participation has further strengthened the corridor’s financial base. A consortium led by Switzerland-based Menomadin & Mitrelli Group, in partnership with Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, launched a USD 1 billion investment vehicle designed to mobilize private capital for the Lobito Corridor and associated infrastructure developments.
African multilateral institutions are also playing a catalytic role. The Africa Finance Corporation, acting as lead project developer and financier, secured capital commitments from investors across Japan, Canada, Europe, and the Arab world in 2025. In parallel, the African Development Bank is mobilizing up to USD 500 million through international partnerships and dedicated financing programs.
With global demand for critical minerals projected to quadruple by 2040, the Lobito Corridor is emerging as a strategic platform linking Africa’s vast resource base with global energy transition markets.
The DRC’s estimated USD 24 trillion in untapped mineral resources and Zambia’s goal of increasing copper production to three million tonnes per year position the USD 16 billion corridor as a transformative driver of regional development.
For both the European Union and the United States, the project represents a tangible opportunity to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on China for energy transition minerals.
