Economic ambitions are the priority, says official with project that Washington has framed as de-risking mineral supply chains from Beijing
3-MIN READ3-MINJevans NyabiagePublished: 2:00pm, 4 May 2026Washington may have framed the Lobito Corridor as de-risking mineral supply chains from Chinese influence, but governments in Africa are prioritising a “handshake” with Beijing and other corridors to create a seamless transcontinental connection.The United States views the Lobito Corridor as a direct rival to the China-backed 1,860km (1,156-mile) Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) that stretches from Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia to Dar es Salaam on Tanzania’s eastern coast.The stakes are high as Tazara recently secured a US$1.4 billion investment from the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
The venture creates a Chinese-controlled logistics chain from the mining pits to the port at Dar es Salaam.
Meanwhile, officials in Luanda, Kinshasa and Lusaka are pursuing interoperability to link the Atlantic port of Lobito with the Indian Ocean at Dar es Salaam and Mozambican ports.
