Global Gateway: EU inks strategic partnerships on ‘Lobito Corridor’ in bid to counter China

The two-day Global Gateway Forum that wrapped up in Brussels on Thursday (26 October 2023) saw the European Union sign three strategic partnerships with its partners to develop critical raw materials value chains and boost transport connectivity.
During the event, the 27-member bloc signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) — for a partnership on critical and strategic raw materials value chains with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials value chains with Zambia and another one aiming at advanced cooperation with the United States and other key partners to develop the ‘Lobito Corridor’. The latter MoU between the EU, US, the DRC, Zambia, Angola, the African Development Bank (ADB) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is a direct follow-up to the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023 and their commitment to the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII).
The ‘Lobito Corridor’ is a transport corridor that will connect the southern part of the DRC and the north-western part of Zambia to regional and global trade markets via the Port of Lobito in Angola. Once fully operational, the ‘Lobito Corridor’ should enhance export possibilities for Zambia, Angola and the DRC, boost the circulation of goods, and promote the mobility of citizens.The partnerships offer benefits to all parties, ensuring on the one hand that DRC’s and Zambia’s resources serve to underpin sustainable, fair, inclusive and peaceful socioeconomic development, whilst simultaneously enabling the EU to deliver on its ambitious Green Deal, empowering the green and digital transitions in both regions. It’s also part of the EU’s broader strategy aiming to secure a sustainable supply of raw materials, especially critical raw materials, as an essential prerequisite for delivering on green and clean energy objectives.