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LCTTFA

The development of the Lobito Corridor gained significant momentum through a series of high-level institutional milestones between January 2023 and January 2025. This period witnessed the establishment of critical governance frameworks and international partnerships aimed at transforming the corridor into a strategic axis of trade and development in Southern and Central Africa. The timeline presented in the image describes key moments that together laid the foundations for the operationalisation of the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA), strengthening regional cooperation between Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.

Timeline of Lobito Corridor Governance and Implementation

The partnership began on 27 January 2023, with the signing, by the three Governments, of the Agreement establishing the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA), in the city of Lobito, Benguela Province. This act marked a historic milestone in formalising regional collaboration and harmonising policies related to infrastructure and trade along the corridor. The process evolved through technical validation workshops, most notably the session held on 4 July 2023 in Lusaka, which brought together senior government officials and technical experts to align priority actions and define the institutional configuration of the initiative.

In August 2023, a significant step forward was taken with the official launch of the Lobito Corridor Railway Concession, representing the initial implementation of essential physical infrastructure components.

A major development occurred in November 2023, with the holding of the first meeting of the Lobito Corridor Committee of Ministers. This meeting proved pivotal in approving provisional governance mechanisms and laying the foundations for greater institutional consolidation of the corridor.

Previously, in October 2023, representatives of regional and global stakeholders convened in Brussels under the Global Gateway initiative, with the aim of exploring investment opportunities and establishing strategic partnerships. These commitments catalysed growing international interest, which translated into high-profile initiatives such as the visit of United States President Joe Biden to Angola in December 2024, underscoring the Lobito Corridor’s growing geopolitical and economic significance.

The timeline culminates in the second meeting of the Committee of Ministers, held on 22 January 2025. At this meeting, ministers approved vital LCTTFA documents, budgets, and organisational structures to ensure the full operationalisation of the Interim Secretariat. This milestone signals a transition from planning to implementation, as the LCTTFA begins to function as a regional coordination body overseeing infrastructure development, trade facilitation, and policy harmonisation. Taken together, these events represent a concerted effort to unlock the economic potential of the Lobito Corridor and position it as an essential driver of sustainable growth and integration in the region.

The LCTTFA Agreement aims to provide an effective and efficient organisation to oversee the route and facilitate the movement of goods within the territories of the three Lobito Corridor Member States, through:

  1. Harmonisation of policies, laws, and regulations;
  2. Coordination of joint corridor infrastructure development strategies and activities;
  3. Dissemination of traffic data and trade information; and
  4. Implementation of trade facilitation instruments to support greater participation by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in business value chains, primarily in agriculture and mining, with a view to increasing trade and economic growth along the Lobito Corridor and throughout the SADC region.

This Agency will promote the sustained maintenance of infrastructure and stimulate the economic and social development of the Lobito Corridor, ensuring that such economic development, infrastructure, and other support services meet the current and future needs of users and encourage a reduction in the costs associated with the movement of freight and passengers along the Corridor.

The corridor represents an opportunity for the three Member States to:

  1. Establish and consolidate cooperation regarding the movement of people and goods;
  2. Ensure cooperation in the field of rail and road traffic;
  3. Provide a more efficient and effective route for the overland transport of goods between the three countries and the sea;
  4. Guarantee transit rights, in order to facilitate the movement of goods through their respective territories; and
  5. Avoid unnecessary delays in the movement of transit goods through their territories.

Beyond the exploitation of mineral resources — the central objective of this infrastructure — it will contribute significantly to trade facilitation and the promotion of socioeconomic development in the beneficiary countries. The corridor will also impart new momentum to intra-African trade, in full alignment with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Special attention will also be given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women entrepreneurs, ensuring that they are able to benefit from the economic opportunities arising from infrastructure development and regional integration.

The LCTTFA Agreement defines the governance structure and establishes a framework for cooperation among the three SADC Member States, in alignment with the provisions of the SADC Treaty, Protocols, and frameworks — in particular the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology, the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030, the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) 2013–2027, and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (SISR) 2015–2063.