Zambian Govt to Strengthen Cooperation With Angola

8 July 2023
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)

Luanda — The President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, said on Friday in Accra, Ghana, that his government wanted to boost cooperation with Angola in the trade sector.

Speaking during a meeting with the Angolan ambassador to Ghana, João Baptista Domingos Quiosa, the Zambian President also showed that he was satisfied with the inauguration of the Lobito corridor, as it will bring many benefits to both countries.

According to a statement from the Angolan Embassy in Ghana to which ANGOP has had access, Hakainde Hichilema attended Friday the official dinner hosted by his Ghanaian counterpart as part of his working visit to the country.

The official ceremony to transfer the Lobito Corridor railroad and logistics support services concession to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium, made up of Trafigura of Switzerland, Mota-Engil of Portugal and Vecturis SA of Belgium, took place last Tuesday and was attended by the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, as well as the presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi and of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema.

Privately managed, the Lobito Corridor includes the Port of Lobito, the Mining Terminal, Catumbela Airport and the Benguela Railway.

For SADC, the corridor is seen as an important means of development for the region, with benefits for Angola and neighbouring countries (DRC and Zambia).

The Lobito Corridor stretches from the Port of Lobito bordering the Atlantic Ocean crossing Angola through west to east, passing through the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico.

It covers the mining areas of Katanga province in the DRC and the Copperbelt in Zambia.

The corridor represents the shortest route to a port from the mineral-rich areas of DRC and Zambia.

Angola and Zambia cooperation

Bilateral relations between Angola and Zambia date back over 40 years, with the signing of the first economic, scientific and technical cooperation agreement in 1979.

Within the framework of boosting bilateral cooperation, in January 2023 Angola and Zambia signed six legal instruments, with emphasis on construction of the Jimbe (Angola) / Mwinilunga/Mapelenga/Sikongo (Zambia) border sections, which aim to facilitate the movement of people and products from the two countries. VM/MRA/jmc

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