AFC Selects Preferred Contractors for $5bn Zambia-Angola Lobito Railway
The project could cost up to $5 billion and aims to cut freight transit times to about seven days, AFC said.
- On Tuesday, Africa Finance Corporation selected preferred engineering and construction contractors for the 830-kilometre Lobito Corridor railway linking Zambia's Copperbelt to Angola's Atlantic coast. Italy's Webuild, Portugal's Mota-Engil, and Turkey's IC Ictas Construction will build the Zambian section.
- This US-backed Lobito Corridor project aims to challenge China's dominance in Africa's mining export market by creating an alternative export route for critical minerals like copper and cobalt from southern and central Africa.
- Approximately 550km of new track will be constructed in Zambia, with the remaining 280km in Angola, for a railway estimated to cost up to $5bn. AFC CEO Samaila Zubairu has not disclosed final construction contract values.
- Contract negotiations are scheduled to begin next month, with AFC aiming to finalize engineering and construction agreements within eight to 12 weeks subject to satisfactory technical and legal terms. Financial close is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2027.
- AFC CEO Samaila Zubairu told Bloomberg on October 27 that construction could begin within six to eight months, suggesting an April-June 2027 start. He emphasized the railway would support industrialization and mineral-processing value chains across the corridor.
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The African Finance Corporation (AFC) has announced the preferred bidders for the two construction phases of the 830-kilometer Zambia-Lobito Railway project, which will connect Chingola in Zambia with Luacano in Angola. The Weguild-led consortium won the Zambian section, while the Mota-Engil and Odebrecht Engineering & Construction partnership won the Angolan section. Contracts have not yet been signed with the companies selected by the AFC thro…
AGI - L'entreprise italienne Wepuild a été désignée " soumissionnaire privlégié " pour le lot 1B du projet ferroviaire du corridor de Lobito, en Zambie. Il s'agit d'une nouvelle ligne de chemin de fer d'environment 517 kilomètres destinée à favoriser l'intégration des infrastructures en Afrique southerne, dans une région stratégique pour le développement des chaînes de valeur liées aux minerais critiques. L'entreprise italienne directs a consort…
Italy takes the lead on Lobito Corridor as Webuild secures strategic railway bid
Rome is turning the Mattei Plan into an industrial instrument, placing an Italian-led consortium at the centre of one of Africa’s most consequential infrastructure projects — and a strategic Western effort to diversify critical mineral supply chains. The news: Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has selected Italy’s Webuild as preferred bidder for the Zambian section of the Lobito Corridor railway, a flagship infrastructure project connecting south…
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