Nacima Kerouad

1. Introduction

Africa is a continent full of economic potential. It’s rich in resources, home to the youngest population in the world, and is attracting growing attention from global investors. According to the African Development Bank’s 2025 Macroeconomic Performances and Outlook report, 24 African countries are expected to see real GDP growth above 5% in 2025. At the same time, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is reshaping how countries trade and cooperate within the region.

However, Africa’s infrastructure gap has long held back its economic integration and global competitiveness. Poor transport networks, limited connectivity, and high trade costs have made it harder for African countries to grow their economy and to trade with one another. China saw this gap as an opportunity, and stepped in early, becoming the dominant foreign investor in African infrastructure through projects like railways, highways, and ports under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Over the past two decades, China has played a major role in reshaping how goods move across the continent. Now, the United States is responding to China’s growing influence in the African continent and stepping into the picture with the Lobito Corridor, its largest infrastructure initiative in Africa so far. This new east-west trade route links the mining regions of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Angola’s Lobito port, making it easier for landlocked countries to access the global market. This project doesn’t just promise economic benefits; it also signals a shift in global interest and competition over Africa’s future. 

This paper explores the question: How does the Lobito Corridor reflect the growing use of infrastructure to shape Africa’s trade patterns and global partnerships? It focuses on the corridor’s economic impact, regional importance, and the political message behind the U.S. involvement. 

2. Lobito Corridor: Economic potential and regional integration 

The Lobito Corridor is one of the major infrastructure projects in Africa designed to link the central regions of the continent to the Atlantic Ocean. It connects mining areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, which are rich in copper and other valuable minerals, to the port of Lobito in Angola.

At the heart of this corridor is the Benguela Railway, a line with deep historical roots. Originally built during the Portuguese colonial era, the railway was completed in 1931and quickly became a key export route for copper and other minerals. It was developed under a 1902 concession granted to Scottish entrepreneur Sir Robert Williams, whose company held the lease for nearly a century before it eventually returned to Angolan state control in 2001. Now modernized and integrated into a broader regional initiative, the Lobito Corridor revives this old route with a new purpose.

One of the biggest strengths of the Lobito Corridor is how it supports intra-African trade by breaking through some of the toughest logistical barriers in the continent. Currently, many African countries still depend on the north-south trade route that are often long, congested, or heavily tied to former colonial patterns. Thus, these routes make it harder, and more expensive for landlocked countries to move goods to ports and access global markets. 

The Lobito Corridor changes that by offering a rare east-west trade link. Instead of relying on routes that go all the way south to ports in South Africa or east to the Indian Ocean, goods from DRC and Zambia can now travel west to Angola’s Lobito port on the Atlantic Ocean. This shortcut doesn’t just save time; it also cuts transport costs and opens up new trade opportunities across borders, which is a big win for businesses and producers in the region. 

Furthermore, this project fits perfectly with the goals of the AfCFTA, which is to improve how African countries trade with each other, making the continent less dependent on overseas markets. The Lobito Corridor helps turn that vision into reality by physically connecting countries in a way that makes regional trade more practical and profitable. With better rail and road links, it becomes easier to move goods between countries, support local industries, and create jobs. 

For landlocked countries like Zambia and the DRC, the benefits are especially clear; these nations are rich in valuable resources like copper and cobalt, but they’ve always struggled with high transport costs and limited access to ports. Thus, the Lobito Corridor gives them a faster, cheaper route to the sea, and with it, a stronger position in global supply chains. Hence, more competitive exports, more investment potential, and more chances for growth. 

In short, the Lobito Corridor is not only a railway but a game-changing initiative that boosts trade efficiency, promotes regional connectivity, and highlights growing global attention to Africa’s economic potential. 

3. Global stakes and geopolitics

For the past two decades, China has dominated infrastructure investment in Africa, pouring billions into roads, railways, and energy projects through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Angola became one of its biggest African partners, trading oil for loans; in fact, Angola alone received billions in Chinese loans and turned to Chinese companies to rebuild war-damaged infrastructure like the Benguela railway. This model gave China deep influence but also left Angola heavily indebted and vulnerable to external influence.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), China controls nearly 80% of cobalt production through ownership or stakes in key mines. These minerals are essential for making batteries and other clean energy technologies, meaning China effectively holds the keys to the global green transition. Critics have pointed out that China’s dominance of these supply chains gives it huge leverage over the future of clean tech and leaves countries like the U.S. and its allies playing catch-up. 

As a strategic counterweight to China, the United States is now trying to reassert itself in Africa as a development partner. With more than $4 billion committed to the Lobito Corridor through the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), the U.S. is framing this project as an alternative to China’s approach. Unlike the BRI, which has been criticized for opaque deals and debt traps, the U.S. is offering a model that blends public and private investment, aiming for more transparency and benefits for local economies. 

This shift is not just about building infrastructure; it’s about securing critical minerals. The corridor connects copper and cobalt mines in Zambia and the DRC directly to the Atlantic Ocean, bypassing routes dominated by Chinese trade channels. The U.S. wants to ensure that these resources flow through open, diversified supply chains, ones that aren’t controlled entirely by one country. It is also about political influence. For years, Washington largely ignored African infrastructure, creating space for China to expand its reach. However, with growing concerns over national security, energy transition, and global competition, the U.S. is now investing not only in railways but also in surrounding industries: solar energy, digital finance, and mineral processing facilities. It’s full-spectrum response, aimed at proving that the West can still be a serious player in Africa. 

With that being said, a big part of this push comes from concerns over access to critical minerals. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global demand for these minerals is expected to surge over the next two decades. The IEA 2024 report predicts that demand for lithium could increase fivefold, graphite could double, and cobalt, nickel, and rare earth metals could see demand grow by 20-80%, mainly due to rising demand from the green energy sector. Thus, controlling access to these resources is becoming a top priority for major powers. 

The European Union is also stepping in, working alongside the U.S. but advancing its own interests through the Global Gateway strategy. European firms like Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis are directly involved in operating the Lobito Atlantic Railway, and EU institutions are financing upgrades to the corridor and related supply chains. For the EU, this is about ensuring access to strategic minerals for its green energy goals and building stronger ties with African countries through sustainable and rules-based investments. 

In many ways, the Lobito Corridor is symbolic of a broader global contest. While China continues to expand its influence with massive state-backed investments, including recent upgrades to the rival TAZARA railway between Tanzania and Zambia, the U.S. and its allies are trying to build a more balanced and sustainable model. It’s not just about who builds the most roads or ports, it’s more about who helps shape Africa’s economic future and on what terms. 

4. The bigger picture: What does this Corridor represent? 

The Lobito Corridor is a sign of how infrastructure has become a form of leverage in today’s global politics. In the past, roads and rail lines were seen mostly as a technical or economic issues. Now, they are also tools for shaping political relationships, building influence, and deciding who gets access to valuable resources. When a country or region controls how goods and minerals move, it also gains a voice in global decision-making. 

In this sense, the Lobito Corridor is not only about moving copper or cobalt, but also it is about building political capital and economic alignment. Moreover, it gives African countries like Angola, Zambia, and the DRC a chance to work more closely with Western partners while reducing their overdependence on a single foreign power, especially China. At the same time, it gives the U.S. and EU a platform to show that their approach to development can be more transparent, fair, and sustainable. 

This corridor is also a kind of test case; can major infrastructure projects, like the Lobito Corridor, actually deliver real impact, which means, boosting trade, creating jobs, strengthening economies, without the heavy political conditions or debt traps that have come with some past deals? Can they support African development in a way that respects local priorities, not just foreign interests? The success or failure of this project could shape how future infrastructure partnerships are built, not just in Africa but globally.  

Maybe most importantly, the Lobito Corridor is trying to set a new model, one that balances African agency, international investment, and regional cooperation. It’s about African-led projects that benefit their own economies while working with global partners who bring funding, technology, and access to markets. If that balance holds, the corridor could be a blueprint for how development can be done right: rooted in local needs, supported by global resources, and driven by long-term vision. 

5. Conclusion 

The Lobito Corridor – Washington’s largest infrastructure initiative in Africa- shows how global powers are now using development, not just diplomacy or military aid, as a tool to gain leverage. As the U.S. and EU work to reduce dependence on Chinese-controlled supply chains, and as China doubles down on its own investments (including the upgrades to the competing TAZARA railway), the Lobito corridor stands at the center of a wider contest over Africa’s future. 

At the same time, the corridor offers real benefits for Angola, the DRC, and Zambia, from faster and cheaper trade routes to new investment in transport, mining, and local industries. For these countries, the Lobito Corridor represents an opportunity to unlock long-term growth, diversify their economies, and gain stronger footing in the global economy.