The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approved a plan to partner with Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil SGPS on rehabilitating a key railway used for transporting copper and cobalt.
The Congolese part of the Lobito Corridor will undergo a “complete rehabilitation” through a public-private partnership endorsed by Congo’s government on July 10, according to minutes of a cabinet meeting read out the same day on state television. Mota-Engil is already part of a consortium that operates a connecting rail line in neighbouring Angola that runs to the Atlantic Ocean coast, allowing for cross-border continuity.
The Lobito Corridor is a major railway project linking Angola’s Port of Lobito to Africa’s Copperbelt and promises to significantly reduce transport times for critical minerals being exported to western markets. The infrastructure has received financial backing from the US, and President Donald Trump’s administration has been supportive of Mota-Engil’s efforts to win the deal as his country deepens its involvement in Congo’s booming mining sector.
The Central African country is the world’s second-biggest copper producer and the top source of battery material cobalt. US interest in Congo’s natural resources has accelerated since Trump returned to the White House as his administration tries to reduce dependence on China for a wide range of mineral products.
