Lobito Atlantic Railway Facilitates First Copper and Cobalt Shipment from DRC to Global Markets
In a landmark milestone for the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) and Trafigura announced the first delivery of copper and cobalt along the corridor linking the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Angola’s deep-water port of Lobito.
EGC, a state-owned entity responsible for purchasing cobalt from artisanal producers in the DRC, has partnered with Trafigura, which markets EGC-supplied cobalt globally.
EGC CEO Eric Kalala highlighted that using the LAR demonstrates that ethical, traceable, and transparent sourcing of artisanal cobalt and copper at scale is achievable and sustainable.
The initial shipment is intended for customers in the United States, in line with the US-DRC strategic partnership agreement.
Trafigura’s head of metals and minerals for Africa, Franck Rogozin, expressed enthusiasm about facilitating responsibly sourced shipments of copper and cobalt to global markets via the most efficient transport route from the DRC Copperbelt.
The LAR, owned by Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis, spans a 1,300-kilometer rail line from the port of Lobito to the DRC border at Luau, with a further 450-kilometer extension to the Copperbelt in Kolwezi.
The railway recently secured $753 million in debt financing from the International Development Finance Corporation and the Development Bank of Southern Africa to support rehabilitation and expansion.
“LAR is a true regional asset, open to all users, and a catalyst for positioning Angola and the DRC as key suppliers of metals and minerals critical for decarbonisation, digitisation, and industrialisation,” said LAR CEO Nicholas Fournier.
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