AFC Selects Preferred Bidders for 830-Kilometre Lobito Rail Expansion

What happened According to reports published by Semafor and Mining Weekly Africa, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has chosen preferred bidders to construct an 830-kilometre greenfield rail segment of the Lobito Corridor, designed to link central African copper and cobalt mining regions to Angola's Atlantic port of Lobito. Mining Weekly Africa reported that Italy's Webuild and Brazil's Odebrecht Engenharia e Construção, an operating unit of Novonor, are core participants in the selected groups. The AFC, serving as the lead developer for the railway's Zambian section, expects formal negotiations to begin next month and reach finalized contracts within eight to 12 weeks. A consortium comprising Webuild, Portugal's Mota-Engil SGPS, and Türkiye's IC Ictas is in discussions to construct the track from Chingola in Zambia to the Angolan frontier. Meanwhile, Mota-Engil and Odebrecht are in discussions to execute the segment stretching from the Zambian border to Luacano in Angola. Mining Weekly Africa stated that the wider Lobito Corridor infrastructure spans approximately 1,739 kilometres from Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Atlantic port of Lobito. AFC President and Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu confirmed in an interview that this selection represents a major step toward delivery, projecting that construction could commence within six to eight months, while declining to state the total monetary value of the engineering contracts. The outlet also noted that the rail project is financially supported by the United States to accelerate mineral export timelines to Western markets and provide a counterweight to China's control over critical minerals crucial to the energy transition. Why it matters (Nexus analysis) The progression of the Lobito Corridor highlights how critical minerals logistics are reshaping infrastructure funding across Central and Southern Africa. If completed, the 1,739-kilometre connection between Kolwezi and Lobito could significantly alter logistics dynamics for base metals like copper and cobalt, potentially reducing transit times compared to traditional export routes. The formal involvement of engineering players from Italy, Portugal, Brazil, and Türkiye underlines the international commercial interest clustered around this strategic transport corridor. Furthermore, the strategic backing from the United States underscores a clear geopolitical dimension, indicating that Western powers view dedicated heavy-rail corridors as vital instruments for securing supply access for the energy transition. Beyond pure mineral evacuation, the greenfield line could potentially encourage local value addition and broader economic output across the transit areas of Zambia and Angola. What to watch (Nexus analysis) Industry stakeholders will monitor the upcoming 8-to-12-week contract negotiations between the AFC and the selected consortiums, particularly regarding project financing terms, final contract values, and risk-allocation mechanisms. Another key element will be whether ground operations meet the AFC's targeted construction timeline of six to eight months. Observers will also track coordination among Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to establish unified cross-border rail standards and customs frameworks across the entire 1,739-kilometre corridor. Sources Mining Weekly Africa, Semafor