United States Prioritizes Mota-Engil Concession for DR Congo’s Lobito Corridor to Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply Chains
The United States has identified the awarding of the concession for the Congolese segment of the Lobito Corridor to Mota-Engil as a priority initiative under its strategic partnership with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), signed on December 4, 2025.
Speaking at the Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 19, 2026, Nick Checker, a senior official in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, described the concession award as one of three projects considered fundamental to implementing the bilateral partnership.
The other projects highlighted by Washington include the acquisition of assets belonging to Chemaf by a consortium led by Virtus Minerals, approved by the Congolese Ministry of Mines on March 13, 2026, and a proposed transaction between the Orion Critical Mineral Consortium and Glencore, which remains at the memorandum-of-understanding stage.
Strategic Corridor for Minerals and Trade
The agreement designates the Sakania–Lobito route as a strategic infrastructure corridor and a central pillar of the DRC’s industrial and export strategy. It establishes specific logistics targets over the next five years, including routing:
- 50% of copper exports
- 30% of cobalt exports
- 90% of zinc exports
from state-owned companies through the corridor.
U.S. officials have been explicit about the project’s geoeconomic significance. During his remarks, Checker stated that Washington aims to ensure African critical minerals “flow westward toward the United States,” identifying the Lobito corridor as a model for strengthening supply chain security and attracting private investment.
He added that the initiative signals to global investors that the DRC is positioning itself as a reliable destination for infrastructure and mining investment, citing the leadership of President Félix Tshisekedi as a key factor supporting project momentum.
Tender Process and Infrastructure Development
U.S. support for Mota-Engil predates the latest developments. On December 5, 2025, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a letter of intent with the Portuguese engineering group to support the rehabilitation, operation, and transfer of the Dilolo–Sakania railway line in the DRC.
According to the DFC, potential financing for the project could reach $1 billion, subject to full technical and financial review.
Congolese authorities have emphasized that procurement processes remain competitive.
During the first corridor coordination meeting held in Luanda in February 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba confirmed that the government is preparing an international tender for the rehabilitation of the Tenke–Kolwezi–Dilolo railway section.
The project is expected to follow a public-private partnership model, with construction targeted to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
While the broader concession structure is still being finalized, the state-owned railway operator Société Nationale des Chemins de fer du Congo (SNCC) has already initiated emergency maintenance works along approximately 80 kilometres of critical track sections to ensure operational continuity.
Authorities report that roughly $100 million has been invested to rehabilitate between 60 and 70 kilometres of rail infrastructure to date.
Competitive Advantage for Regional Exports
Government projections indicate that the corridor could significantly improve export efficiency from southern DRC mining hubs such as Tenke and Kolwezi.
Once fully operational, freight shipments are expected to reach the Port of Lobito in five to eight days, compared with approximately 25 days to alternative ports such as:
- Port of Durban in South Africa
- Port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania
- Port of Beira in Mozambique
- Port of Walvis Bay in Namibia
Officials estimate the reduced transit time could lower logistics costs by up to 30%. In its first year of full operation, the corridor is projected to handle approximately 1 million tonnes of exports and 500,000 tonnes of imports.
Existing Operations on the Angolan Segment
On the Angolan side of the corridor, operations are already underway. A consortium comprising Mota-Engil, Trafigura, and Vecturis currently manages the railway through the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), which holds a 30-year concession for the Lobito–Luau line.
That segment has been operational since 2023 and serves as a foundational component of the broader Lobito Corridor strategy to integrate regional mining supply chains with global export markets.
