Ivanhoe, Kamoa Copper, LAI inks MOU for transportation of copper by rail

Ivanhoe Mines, Kamoa Copper and Lobito Atlantic International (LAI) have sealed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to utilize the Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor to improve the transportation of copper and other minerals from the Kamoa-Kakula mine to the Atlantic Ocean port.

The project’s potential to reduce transportation costs, carbon emissions, and to facilitate trade among neighboring countries aligns with broader goals of sustainable development and responsible resource extraction. The Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor is a significant infrastructure project that spans across Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), connecting the DRC’s Copperbelt to the port of Lobito in Angola.

Economic development

President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, emphasize the importance of regional cooperation and the positive impact this project could have on trade and economic development in the region.“I am very committed to cooperation with our neighbours. We gain two partners in the [Lobito Corridor] project, Angola and Zambia. This will benefit our populations nearby and further away… Indeed that is the goal, to create national integration, resulting in ease of movement for goods and people inside our country… So that the various regions can engage in trade among themselves.”

Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland commented: “The Lobito Corridor is set to become a crucial trade route for copper and other critical minerals from a uniquely strategic region of Africa… metals that are so desperately needed for our planet’s energy transition”