U.S. President Joe Biden concluded his trip to Angola on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, with a meeting attended by Angolan President João Manuel Lourenço, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, and Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango.

The meeting dubbed the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit, focused on a transregional infrastructure project connecting mineral-rich southern DRC and northwestern Zambia to western markets via Angola’s Port of Lobito, utilizing the existing Benguela rail network in Angola.

Supported by the U.S. and the European Union, the project is being implemented by a consortium of three multinational companies: Singapore-based commodity trader Trafigura (49.5%), Portuguese civil construction group Mota-Engil (49.5%), and European railway operator Vecturius (1%).

“When I launched this project with our G7 partners last year, I said our goal was to build a better future. And, folks, the future is here. It’s now. The future is here,” President Biden told fellow leaders.

READ MORE: US, EU-Backed Lobito Corridor: A Challenger to Tanzania’s SGR Rail, Port Ambitions?

The U.S. government, through its Development Finance Corporation (DFC), has committed about $250 million to the corridor, which it views as a critical component to ensuring the supply of critical minerals to the West through the Atlantic amidst stiff competition with China.

“Critical minerals our world needs for electric vehicles and semiconductors can be found here. Clean energy we need to power artificial intelligence data centers and economic growth can be built here,” Biden emphasized.

Tanzania and Zambia

Seated beside Tanzanian Vice President Mpango was President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC, Tanzania’s largest port client, which moved 11 million tons of cargo through Tanzania between 2020 and 2023. Also present was Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, representing the second-largest port client of Tanzania, with 6.9 million tons transported over the same period.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for Tanzania in this meeting at the Carrinho Food Processing Factory, given its latest grand ambition of leveraging its geographic position to drive economic growth.

Vice President Mpango used the opportunity to highlight the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA), a topic first introduced by President Hichilema during his remarks. TAZARA, completed in 1976, is one of the largest historical Chinese investments in Africa. It is set to undergo a billion-dollar revamp through a concession agreement between Tanzania, Zambia, and the Chinese firm China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC).

READ MORE: Tanzania, China, and Zambia Agree on the Improvement of the TAZARA Railway

“Tanzania is no stranger to such aspirations, as it already links landlocked countries in Central Africa with the Middle East, Asia, and the Far East. The Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) and the oil pipeline TAZAMA — all connecting the hinterland to the Indian Ocean — have facilitated connectivity, cooperation, and shared prosperity since the 1970s,” Vice President Mpango noted.

He added, “TAZARA is an interstate rail link, which allows trains to move from Tanzania to some SADC member states, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.”

Understanding the geopolitical rivalry underlying these logistical strategies, both Tanzania and Zambia took the safe and African-centered position of connecting Africa, signaling that infrastructure development in the region that is yet to be connected doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.

“Tanzania views the Lobito Corridor as an integral part of a broader strategy to enhance connectivity in Africa. Tanzania is already undertaking internal consultations aiming at aligning this project with national priorities and other bilateral and regional commitments,” Vice President Mpango said.

President Hichilema echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of the project from an African perspective.

“It’s a huge, huge opportunity, not just for Zambia. Angola, DRC, Tanzania — happens that these countries are all SADC countries. It’s good for SADC. It’s good for individual countries. It’s good for SADC,” Hichilema said.

“From Angola, which we believe will be (inaudible) on to Chingola, and then connecting that — very important — connecting that to the TAZARA corridor, which will really mean that we can connect our continent, this part of Africa, from the west coast in Lobito here, where we are, through DRC, Zambia, into Tanzania,” Hichilema emphasized.

Tanzania views the DRC as its most valuable regional partner, seeking to attract more business from the country. Additionally, Tanzania plays a crucial role in stabilizing the DRC through its participation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC). Meaning Tanzania will be keen to follow any logistical development affecting DRC.

With U.S. interest in Tanzania’s critical mineral sector, particularly through Lifezone Metals’ Kabanga Nickel Project — the world’s largest and highest-grade nickel sulfide deposit — and plans to establish a multi-metal processing facility in Kahama, Tanzania is poised to collaborate with both the U.S. and China despite their ongoing rivalry.