A new rail line supported in part by the United States will foster national infrastructure and improve transportation of mined metals in Africa once it’s complete, and a map created by Newsweek shows that the rail line will eventually connect two oceans by creating a route through four African countries.
The Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor update comes as other rail projects have been announced around the globe, such as the new Brightline West all-electric railway, which will transport riders between Las Vegas and southern California and began construction earlier this year in the U.S., and Russia’s first high-speed passenger railway, which will more than halve traveling time between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
President Joe Biden first introduced his plans to support the Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor during the 2023 G7 Summit, according to the White House. At the time, Biden said the U.S. planned to invest $250 million in the project, which will create a route from Lobito Port in Angola through Zambia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eventually, future developments would expand the route into Tanzania, which would create a rail line route between the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
The project is part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), which is “G7’s flagship infrastructure and investment initiative,” according to the White House. G7 is an intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Biden recently touched on the PGI progress during the 2024 G7 Summit in Fasano, Italy, according to a White House fact sheet published on Thursday. During this year’s summit, Italy committed $320 million of “grant, equity and debt capital to finance a new 800-kilometer greenfield rail section of the envisioned first open-access trans-continental rail network,” and the United Kingdom agreed to contribute funds for geological surveying along the corridor.
“President Biden also highlighted progress on PGI economic corridors that reflect how the USG is working with partners to boost infrastructure investment in emerging markets, emphasizing strategic economic corridor development for multisector impact across countries,” the White House fact sheet said.
“Additionally, the United States accelerated support to develop the Lobito Economic Corridor, the PGI flagship economic corridor announced by President Biden at the 2023 G7 Summit, that supports critical transportation infrastructure in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, including the first open-access transcontinental rail network in Africa.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Once complete, the corridor will enable “additional investment in agribusiness to enhance food security, digital infrastructure, and expanded access to clean power,” according to the White House.
“PGI continues to pursue additional opportunities to connect the initial Lobito Corridor investments across the continent, to Tanzania and, ultimately, the Indian Ocean all while creating quality jobs and improving lives,” the fact sheet said.
Once completed, the corridor will redirect mine products, such as metals like cobalt, copper, and lithium needed for electric vehicle battery production and wind turbines, to a port in Angola. This would cut down on export expenses and move resources more efficiently, according to a 2023 report by WRAL.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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