Originally scheduled for October 13-15, President Joe Biden’s visit to Angola was set to be historic—the first by a sitting U.S. president to an African nation in nearly a decade.
While Hurricane Milton delayed the trip, the urgency to reschedule remains high due to its strategic significance, emphasizing Africa’s growing role in global economics.
Angola, along with regional neighbors Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is emerging as a key investment hub for critical minerals essential to the green transition.
Both the U.S. and EU have focused their attention on the Lobito Corridor initiative, aiming to enhance mineral supply chains across the three nations.
Meanwhile, China, already well-established in the region, is strengthening its presence through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) along the same corridor.
Despite recent media focus on U.S.-China rivalry in Africa, this corridor presents a unique chance for cooperation, offering Africa new pathways to realize its economic potential. With aligned strategies, the U.S. and China could support Africa’s green industrialization by embedding ESG principles into mining investments, creating a mutually beneficial growth agenda.
The Global Competition for Critical Minerals
The Lobito Corridor is becoming a focal point in the global race for critical minerals. In early September, China, Zambia, and Tanzania signed a memorandum to invest $1 billion in restoring the TAZARA railway, linking Zambia’s copper mines to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port.
This project is widely viewed as a counter to the U.S.-backed expansion of the G7-led Lobito Corridor railway, which connects DRC and Zambian mines to the Tanzanian coast.
Helaina Matza, the U.S. government lead for the G7’s Partnership of Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), emphasized the importance of this extension during her visit to the DRC and Tanzania, highlighting it as crucial for exporting the region’s cobalt and copper, both essential for the green transition.
President Biden has underscored that the Lobito Corridor is about more than infrastructure: it’s a commitment to building high-quality, sustainable projects that foster long-term economic growth. Reflecting a similar focus, China is advancing green energy and industrial partnerships across Africa.
While the Lobito Corridor appears to be a battleground for geopolitical competition, the shared interest of the U.S. and China in African mineral resources opens the door for collaborative investments.
This alignment could help Africa foster sustainable growth while benefitting from both Western and Chinese partnerships.
Responsible Mining Paves the Way for Sustainable Development
In the DRC, Chinese mining giant CMOC is actively supporting President Xi Jinping’s pledge to enhance mineral processing, helping transform the nation’s vast cobalt and copper resources into economic development.
CMOC aims to double its copper output by 2028, bolstered by major investments in its Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu Mines.
The company’s commitment to high-quality, responsible mining has earned Tenke Fungurume Mine the first Copper Market certification in Africa and an improved ESG rating from MSCI.
CMOC’s focus on sustainability extends to renewable energy partnerships, such as its recent hydropower deal with Lualaba Power, which will supply clean electricity to local industries.
The U.S. has adopted a similar ESG-focused strategy, promoting responsible mining practices and sustainable refining through the Minerals Security Partnership, a multilateral initiative that includes the EU and over ten other nations.
Both the U.S. and EU have signed agreements with Zambia and the DRC to develop regional electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chains, catalyzing investment across the minerals value chain.
Linking the Lobito and TAZARA Corridors: A Vision for Regional Growth
Looking ahead, the U.S.-led coalition and China have a historic opportunity to connect the Lobito and TAZARA corridors, creating Africa’s first East-West railway.
This transcontinental rail line would link Angola, the DRC, Zambia, and Tanzania, uniting the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts and accelerating economic growth.
While some analysts view these projects as competing initiatives, experts like Dr. Cobus van Staden argue that integrating the Lobito Corridor with the TAZARA line could expedite completion and attract support from regional stakeholders, including the Southern African Development Bank and the African Union.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) highlights that both rail lines have yet to reach their full economic potential, with infrastructure fragmentation and underinvestment hindering regional trade.
A unified rail corridor could reduce transit times and lower costs, helping Angola, the DRC, Zambia, and Tanzania unlock economic opportunities by tapping into their young populations and abundant mineral resources to drive green industrialization and sustainable, export-driven growth.
The U.S. and China now face a choice: intensify competition or embrace collaboration to support Africa’s green industrialization.
By working in concert with regional organizations and mobilizing private-sector resources, both nations can help Africa convert its vast mineral wealth into a pillar of the global energy transition, fueling regional prosperity while fostering sustainable development.
