Angola and Zambia seek strengthened transport cooperation

Luanda, ANGOLA, November 13 - The Angolan Transport minister, Augusto da Silva Tomás, travelled Saturday to Lusaka, Zambia, to meet local authorities with a view to strengthening cooperation with that neighbouring country in the transport sector. ,

The Angolan official was also expected to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to witness the signing of a trade agreement between the Benguela Railways (CFB) and the Congolese National Railway Company (SNCC).

The said agreement aims at boosting the development of the Lobito corridor.

The minister, who leads a delegation of senior staff of the Transport Ministry and of Lobito’s and Benguela’s railroads, was also expected to deliver a message from the Angolan president, João Lourenço, to his Zambian and Congolese counterparts, Edgar Shagwa Lungu, and Joseph Kabila Kabange, respectively.

Lobito is a transnational corridor that crosses the southern Africa region and projects itself beyond Angolan borders with great structuring impact on the SADC space.

Lobito region also stands as one of the main circulation route for raw materials, products and goods, not only inside the countries it crosses, but especially due to worldwide connections mainly with the Lobito port. Angolan, Zambia and the DRC witnessed on 14 February 2014 the inauguration of the Moxico’s Luena city airport and the CFB inaugural trip to the bridge at the border with the DRC, after 30 years of paralysation.

Angola is currently building the Rivungo-Shangombo border canal, to improve the social condition and economic development of the peoples living in the region.

The said canal located between Rivungo municipality in Angola’s Cuando Cubango province and the Zambian locality of Shangombo, will boost trade between both peoples.

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