lobito Corridor Project Faces Scrutiny Over Equitable Benefits and European Dependency
Brussels โ- A majorโฃ infrastructure project intended to bolster trade and resource transport from Angola to Europe is drawing criticism โregarding its potential for genuine mutual benefit and concerns about deepening European reliance on Chinese processing capabilities. The Lobito Corridor, a railway intendedโ to facilitate โฃthe flowโ of raw materials, isโค under examination as to whether its advantages will extend beyond corporations to the communities along its โขroute andโฃ whether it truly addresses Europe’s supply chainโ vulnerabilities.
The initiative, aiming to connect the Atlantic port of Lobito โขin Angola โto the Democratic Republic ofโ Congo and Zambia, is โคframed as a solution toโ diversify Europe’s access to critical minerals.However, observers question if the project will replicateโฃ historical patterns of resource extraction โฃthat โฃhave yielded limited gains for Angolans. The project’s long-term success andโข equitable distributionโ of benefits remain uncertain as geopolitical โฃcompetition โขintensifies between the European Union, Russia, and China for influence and access to African resources.
Journalist andโ human rights activist Rafael Marques โde Morais, speaking toโ ARDโข studio Brussels, leveled accusations of systemic corruption within the Angolan government, asserting โคthat itsโ primary โฃobjective is resource exploitation. “What benefits have we had so far from all these years of Western โฃpresence in the oil and diamond sectors? Very โlittle for the โฃmajority โฃof people in Angola,” Marques de Morais stated,โข urging Angola to avoid becoming a pawn in broader international power dynamics.
Even proponents of the โLobito Corridor acknowledge that the project alone won’t eliminate Europe’s dependencies. Arthur Leichthammer of the Delors Center highlighted โคChina’s โขestablished dominance in โขraw material processing,โ noting that “As long as these steps take place almost exclusively in China, Europe remainsโ vulnerable.” chinaโค has been โคaโค global hub for refining raw materials for over two decades, creating a significant pointโข of leverage.