Given its limited access to the sea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) strongly relies on its neighbors, including South Africa and Tanzania, to export its copper. Angola may soon become a new shipping route, due to the slowness when passing through Tanzania and SA.
Last week, the first shipment of Congolese copper left the port of Lobito in Angola for the United States. Trafigura, part of the consortium managing the Lobito rail corridor and port, announced the departure on August 22. The copper cathodes were shipped from Kolwezi and arrived at Lobito six days later, confirming the Lobito corridor as the quickest export route for DRC copper. In contrast, reaching ports in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, or Durban, South Africa, takes 14 and 25 days, respectively.
Before the recent shipment to the US, the DRC had sent some of its copper to Europe and the Far East, through the Lobito corridor. The European Union and the United States are financially backing the corridor's development to challenge China's dominance in copper supplies from the Central African Copperbelt, which mainly includes the DRC and Zambia. There are also plans to extend the Lobito corridor into Zambia.
• UAC of Nigeria acquired CHI Limited, known for Chivita juices and Hollandia dairy, from Coca-Cola ...
Senegal’s attempt to diversify its fuel supply by turning to Nigerian crude is bumping up against ha...
• AfDB chief Sidi Ould Tah met BOAD president Serge Ekué in Abidjan on Aug. 30.• Talks focused on jo...
• Nestlé, NGOs urge against delay, propose grace period instead• EU cites technical hurdles, trading...
Côte d’Ivoire traced 40% of cocoa for 2024/25 season Most cocoa remains untracked due to info...
BOAD approves $10.5M loan for Donsin Airport equipment Project delayed by contract termination, safety, and funding issues New airport to open...
Etihad launches daily Abu Dhabi-Addis Ababa flights on Oct 8 Joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines boosts Africa-Middle East links Partnership aims to...
DRC launches 2026-2030 digital plan, AI strategy in Kinshasa $1B investment to boost infrastructure, services, and digital skills Goal: become...
Côte d’Ivoire launches 50 MW Kong solar plant project Plant to power 380,000 homes, cut 55,000 tons of CO₂ Part of 12-project plan to reach 45%...
African countries prepare to celebrate Intangible Cultural Heritage Day Planned events spotlight traditions, rituals, and cultural...
The Cape Floral Region is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and a source of ecological pride for South Africa. Located in the southwestern part of...