AFC asks Zambia and Angola for money to start the Lobito railway after promised partner funding fell through

The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is asking the governments of Zambia and Angola for funding to get construction started on a proposed railway, costing between US$3 billion and US$5 billion, that would link Zambia's copper mines to Angola's Lobito port on the Atlantic coast. AFC President Samaila Zubairu said the corporation is seeking initial "viability gap" funding from the two governments, because some of the financial commitments it expected from international partners did not come through. Mr Zubairu described the 830-kilometre line as commercially viable, but said it needs government support to close the initial financing gap. The railway is the most expensive part of the Lobito Corridor, a US-backed project to improve transport links in the region and move critical minerals to international markets. For Zambia, the line is meant to provide an alternative export route for copper and other minerals, so that the country depends less on the routes it uses now. AFC has already picked preferred bidders for the construction work: Italy's Webuild and Brazil's Odebrecht. The reports do not say how large the funding gap is or when building could start. ## Background Copper is Zambia's biggest export, and getting it to the sea quickly and cheaply is a long-standing problem for a landlocked country. The Lobito Corridor is meant to give Zambia a shorter path to the Atlantic coast through Angola. The project has drawn interest from the United States and from lenders in Africa, but the cost of building a new line through the region is high, and the gap AFC now describes is the money needed to get past the starting line. ## Why it matters Any money the Zambian government puts into the railway comes from public funds, which are also needed for hospitals, schools, farming support and roads. At the same time, a cheaper and faster way to move copper abroad would help mining companies and could bring in more export earnings, jobs along the line and more demand for local