The Zambia-Lobito Rail project, which has the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) as the lead developer, has received pivotal support from the US president's just-concluded visit to Angola.

The Lobito Corridor will link Angola's Port of Lobito to Zambia via upgraded rail infrastructure, with plans to extend connections to Tanzania's Port of Dar es Salaam, integrating the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This initiative aims to bolster trade and economic integration across East and Southern Africa. The AFC intends to secure US$500 million through diverse financing mechanisms, bringing the total funding for the project to over US$1 billion. The project is led by the Lobito Corridor consortium, with AFC as the lead developer, working in partnership with the US Government, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and the governments of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia.

The Governments of Angola and Zambia to extend the Lobito railway through Zambia's Copperbelt. This entails the construction of an 830 km greenfield rail line connecting the Benguela rail line in Lucano, Angola, to the existing Zambian rail line in Chingola. Once completed, the Lobito Corridor will offer the fastest and most efficient route for exports and imports, linking key mining regions, agricultural clusters, and businesses in Zambia and DRC to the Port of Lobito. The rail link will cut travel time from the Copperbelt to international markets from 45 days to just seven, significantly lowering costs. Shifting freight from road to rail will reduce emissions by at least 300,000 tons of CO2 annually.