Benguela — The Government of the United States of America, through its Power Africa initiative, is organizing this Wednesday, a conference on the Coordination of Support to the Lobito Corridor, to be held in that railroad city.
According to a note from the US Embassy sent to ANGOP on Monday, multilateral development organisations, private sector partners and donors are participating in the conference.
It aims to support the mining, agriculture, health and transport sectors, as well as facilitate access to energy along the Lobito Corridor.
The conference also aims to identify energy needs in the Corridor and member countries, map projects and developers to create a roadmap for coordination and engagements in each country, and establish a communication system with clear roles to monitor performance and impact, the document says.
The event will be attended by senior U.S. government officials in Angola, including William Butterfield, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) representative in Angola, and Ted Lawrence, Deputy Coordinator of Power Africa.
Representatives from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Energy, the International Development Finance Corporation and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency are also expected to attend.
Other participants will include representatives of multilateral organizations, such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the European Union (EU), as well as other development and private sector partners, the note reads.
The Lobito Corridor, also known as the Benguela Railway (CFB), represents an important transport route that connects the African interior to the Atlantic Ocean, including landlocked nations such as Zambia and the DRC.
It is not only a trade route, but also a vital gateway that opens these countries to global markets, facilitating the export of minerals, agricultural products and manufactured goods.
The advantages of using railways, such as the Benguela Railway, to transport minerals are many. Railways are more efficient for moving large volumes over long distances compared to trucks.
They offer a higher load capacity per trip, are more fuel efficient per ton of load, and have a lower risk of accidents and breakdowns, thus reducing the likelihood of delays and damage to the load.
In addition, trains are a more environmentally friendly mode of transport, emitting fewer carbon emissions per ton of cargo.
Railways also play a significant role in reducing road congestion, leading to faster and more reliable delivery times. CRB/DOJ
