US backs Angola rail corridor to reshape global critical minerals supply chains

• US signs major loan for Lobito rail, boosting mineral exports
• Project targets lower costs, diversify supply chains from rivals

The United States has signed a major loan to rehabilitate Angola’s Lobito Atlantic Railway, a move aimed at reshaping global critical mineral supply chains and cutting export costs from central Africa.

The agreement, led by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation with support from the Development Bank of South Africa, focuses on upgrading the 1,300-kilometre railway linking Angola’s Atlantic coast to the mineral-rich interiors of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.