Benguela — The President of the Republic of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, highlighted on Tuesday (Dec 4), in Benguela, the vital importance of the Lobito Corridor for the implementation of the African Free Trade Zone.

Hakainde Hichilema stressed this fact when speaking at the Multilateral Summit on the Lobito Corridor, which was attended by the Presidents of Angola, João Lourenço, the United States of America, Joe Biden, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, and the Vice President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango.

For this reason, Zambian President said that the development of the Lobito Corridor is equally important not only for the countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which includes Angola, Zambia, DRC and Tanzania, but for all nations on the continent.

That is why he considered that through it there will be 'a fundamental change for our countries, our economies and our peoples'.

With this, President Hakainde Hichilema added that 'the project opens a great opportunity for investments and trade, because it refers to infrastructure such as railways, roads or the road system, which will interconnect and communicate with the Corridor'.

The Zambian leader also said that the Lobito Corridor is an opportunity to increase efficiency, shorten trade distances and greater connectivity of nations and peoples.

With it, he adds, there is also the opportunity to invest in energy sources, diversifying the energy matrix in the region, which will contribute to the world 'feeling greener and meeting carbon emission goals'.

'I think here we are really translating that into magical terms,' he said.

In this sense, he was also very enthusiastic about the fact that a job is being done that he considered to be excellent. 'This is what Africa needs so that young people, when they leave their countries to study, return and work working with global capital and technologies.' SC/DOJ