Angolan Ministers Highlight Importance of the Lobito Corridor at Roundtable in Washington, D.C.

The event forms part of a series of diplomatic initiatives undertaken by the Embassy of Angola aimed at aligning the Angolan Government’s vision with the interests of U.S. investors seeking to expand and internationalise their investments in Angola. It was held on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. The first edition of the roundtable featured two members of the Angolan Government as keynote speakers: Minister of Finance Vera Daves de Sousa and Minister of Transport Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu. Under the theme “The Role of Infrastructure and Transport Investment in the Lobito Corridor,” the roundtable also brought together policymakers, international investors, representatives of multilateral financial institutions, and strategic partners. Discussions focused on economic opportunities, logistical challenges, and the transformative potential of this railway and logistics corridor connecting Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean. The initiative sought to enhance Angola’s visibility in the context of the country’s ongoing major economic reforms and attract further foreign investment in strategic infrastructure projects, at a time when Angola is positioning itself as an increasingly important logistics and trade hub on the African continent. The event also provided an opportunity to deepen dialogue between Angola and the United States on shared priorities, including sustainable development, regional integration, and infrastructure cooperation within the framework of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). The opening session was chaired by Agostinho Van-Dúnem, Ambassador of the Republic of Angola to the United States of America.