The Lobito Corridor: the strategic pillar of the partnership between Angola and the European Union

The strategic cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Angola has three priorities: economic diversification, good governance and human development, notably the development of the Lobito Corridor. The bilateral budget, in the form of a grant, for 2021–2027 amounts to €403 million. Angola also benefits from many EU regional and global programmes.
As a national priority for Angola, the Lobito Corridor is at the core of our partnership. Team Europe, the EU and EU Member States, view the corridor within a broader economic context, which goes beyond investments in physical infrastructure. In the three countries of the Lobito Corridor – Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia – the EU has mobilised over €2 billion in investments around the Corridor. 
In Angola, the EU allocated €76.5 million in grants (donations) in 2024 to support the development of the Lobito Corridor through: i) technical and vocational training in strategic sectors; ii) support for biodiversity and ecotourism; and iii) sustainable investment and business practices. In 2025, the EU allocated €50 million in grants towards the development of the agri-food sector and signed an €8million contract with the Netherlands (€1 million from the Netherlands and €7 million from the EU) for the development of the Cáala logistics hub. Support for renewable energy is being prepared, in particular to provide communities and businesses along the corridor with access to electricity. The Lobito Corridor offers valuable opportunities for Angola to diversify its economy and implement the Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement with the EU, which entered into force in September 2024. 
The third Angola-EU Business Forum will take place in Luanda on May 05-06, and will be focused on the agribusiness, logistics, transport and energy sectors. Its aim is to celebrate a significant milestone for the Lobito Corridor and the private sector’s involvement in its development, to turn the strategic vision into practical partnerships, and to establish the corridor as a hub for competitive growth.

Rosário Bento Pais
European Union Ambassador to Angola