Lobito Corridor

The Lobito Corridor is a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project, primarily a rail upgrade, stretching from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, through Angola, to the Atlantic port of Lobito. It's a flagship project of the EU's Global Gateway initiative, intended as a €300 billion infrastructure drive to rival China's Belt and Road Initiative. The project aims to secure access to critical minerals like copper and cobalt. It's newsworthy due to a recent report by Global Witness highlighting the risk of displacement for up to 6,500 people in the DRC. This raises concerns about the social and environmental impact of the project, even as it's positioned as a strategic move by the US and EU to diversify supply chains and counter Chinese influence in Africa. The project's relevance lies in the global race for critical minerals and the geopolitical competition between Western powers and China.