Climate & energy

Lobito corridor green hydrogen corridor.

Angola · Democratic Republic of Congo · Zambia
EU commitment
2.3B
Phase
Funded
Announced
October 2023
Target completion
2030
01 — Project timeline 5-stage phase tracking
01
Announced
Oct 2023
02
Funded
Apr 2024
03
Construction
est. 2025
04
Delivered
est. 2030
05
Operating
est. 2031+
02 — About this project Source: EU Commission database

A green-hydrogen and rail corridor linking the Atlantic to the copper belt.

The Lobito corridor connects Angola's Atlantic port at Lobito with the copper-cobalt belt of the southern Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia's North-Western province. The Global Gateway commitment funds renewable generation, electrolyser capacity, and corridor logistics — the rail upgrade and the export terminal — under a single envelope.

It is the largest single Global Gateway commitment in Africa to date, and the most prominent example of the EU's stated shift from project-by-project announcements to integrated, multi-country corridors. The project is being delivered alongside complementary commitments from the United States International Development Finance Corporation and the African Development Bank.

03 — Meridian17 status assessment Independent read
Assessment · April 2026

Funding is confirmed. Implementation pace will be the test — first construction milestones are due Q3 2025 and slippage there will be the early signal of trouble.

Funding confirmed Permits in progress Construction not yet started
04 — EU institution mentions Official communications · 6 mentions
28 Oct 2023
Global Gateway Forum announcement — Lobito corridor as flagship Africa project of the second-half mandate.
EC Press
12 Feb 2024
Joint statement with the African Union on corridor approach to critical raw materials.
EEAS
18 Apr 2024
European Investment Bank approves €600M tranche for renewable generation component.
EIB
06 Jun 2024
Parliamentary question on labour and environmental standards along the corridor.
EP Plenary
14 Nov 2024
DG INTPA progress note — first procurement window opened to African contractors.
DG INTPA
22 Mar 2026
Commission mid-term review confirms timeline; flags permitting bottlenecks in DRC.
EC Press

Source: EU Parliament and institution RSS feeds. These are official EU communications and may reflect promotional framing.

05 — News coverage Independent reporting · selected
06 — Related projects Same pillar & region
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