Tanzania and Angola have agreed to pursue a railway connection linking their Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean transport corridors through Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in a proposal that could strengthen regional trade connections and create an alternative route for moving minerals and other commodities across Southern Africa. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced the initiative on Thursday, 30 October 2026, although no implementation timetable has yet been provided. The proposed connection would bring Angola’s Benguela Railway into the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) network, extending the Lobito Corridor from the Atlantic coast towards Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean. It would establish a transcontinental rail connection across the heart of Southern Africa, linking major mining and production areas to two important maritime gateways.
The announcement comes at a significant moment for the region’s transport infrastructure, as several governments and international development partners pursue major railway investments intended to improve access to global markets. Zambia, in particular, is emerging as an important geographical and commercial link between competing and potentially complementary transport corridors. The Lobito Corridor connects Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito with mining areas in the DRC and Zambia through the Benguela Railway. Its strategic importance lies largely in its potential to transport copper, cobalt and other commodities from the mineral rich Copperbelt to international markets. The corridor is also being developed as an alternative to established export routes towards ports on Africa’s eastern and southern coasts.
On the opposite side of the proposed connection is TAZARA, the railway linking Zambia’s Copperbelt to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Built with Chinese financing in the 1970s, the line was originally conceived to provide landlocked Zambia with access to an Indian Ocean port for copper exports and fuel imports, reducing its dependence on transport routes through neighbouring countries.
The railway has experienced decades of operational and infrastructure challenges, but a major revitalisation agreement signed by China, Tanzania and Zambia in September 2025 has placed it back at the centre of regional transport planning. The US$1.4 billion agreement involves China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation investing in the rehabilitation of the railway, improvements to supporting infrastructure and the acquisition of additional rolling stock. The project covers the approximately 1,860 kilometre railway between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.
The proposed Angola Tanzania connection would therefore build on two infrastructure developments with different investment histories and international partnerships. TAZARA’s revitalisation is backed by China, while the Lobito Corridor has received support from the United States, the European Union and G7 partners. The contrast has increasingly placed the two routes within wider discussions about international competition for access to Africa’s critical mineral resources and the infrastructure needed to transport them.
However, the latest developments also suggest that the corridors need not be understood exclusively as competing projects. A physical connection between them could create a broader network through which producers and traders have access to multiple export routes, potentially improving logistical flexibility and reducing dependence on individual ports and transport systems.
There is already significant movement towards expanding the Lobito railway infrastructure. On 27 October, Italian construction company Webuild announced that it had been selected as preferred bidder for Lot 1B of the Zambia Lobito Railway Project, a proposed 517 kilometre section running from the Angolan border to Chingola in Zambia’s Copperbelt region. The wider greenfield railway project covers approximately 830 kilometres between Angola and Zambia.
Africa Finance Corporation, the project’s lead sponsor and developer, also announced the preferred construction consortia for both national sections. Webuild, Portugal’s Mota Engil and Turkey’s IC İçtaş Construction were selected for the Zambian section, while Mota Engil and Brazil’s Odebrecht Engineering and Construction were selected for the Angolan section. Contract negotiations are expected to begin in November, with the aim of concluding the engineering, procurement and construction agreements within eight to twelve weeks, subject to successful negotiations.
The railway is expected to improve the movement of copper and cobalt from the Copperbelt to the Atlantic coast. Webuild estimates that the completed infrastructure could reduce the time required to transport goods from the Copperbelt to international markets from approximately 16 days to seven, while generating substantial economic benefits for Zambia and Angola. These projections, however, remain dependent on the completion of the project and the development of the wider corridor infrastructure.
For Zambia and the DRC, the implications extend beyond shorter transport times. Both countries hold substantial deposits of copper and cobalt, minerals that have become increasingly important to global manufacturing, electrification and the energy transition. More efficient railway connections could improve the competitiveness of their exports, while providing opportunities for investment in processing, logistics and industrial activity along the routes.
The proposed connection also raises important questions about the coordination of infrastructure across national borders. Railway systems require compatible technical standards, efficient customs procedures, reliable freight operations and agreements governing the movement of goods between jurisdictions. Linking existing infrastructure in Angola and Tanzania through Zambia and the DRC would therefore involve more than laying additional track. Governments would need to coordinate investment, operational arrangements and the commercial terms governing the movement of freight across the network.
Beyond transport, Hassan also disclosed that Angola had invited Tanzania to participate in investment opportunities in an oil refinery project associated with the Lobito Corridor. Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation is assessing the viability of a potential partnership, although Dar es Salaam has not announced whether it intends to acquire an equity stake.
The discussions come as East African governments consider other refinery investment opportunities. Tanzania has not confirmed whether it will participate in the proposed equity arrangement involving the refinery being developed in Kenya by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote. East African governments have been offered a collective 30 per cent stake, with Kenya and Rwanda having committed to purchasing shares. Tanzania and Uganda are also discussing plans to develop a separate refinery at the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
These developments point to a broader effort by African governments to strengthen regional infrastructure and establish greater control over the movement and processing of strategic resources. Railways, ports and energy facilities are increasingly being considered as interconnected components of economic development rather than isolated infrastructure investments.
For Southern Africa, the prospect of linking the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts through a continuous railway network is particularly significant. Landlocked mineral producing countries could gain greater flexibility in reaching international markets, while coastal economies could benefit from increased freight volumes, investment and associated commercial activity.
Nevertheless, the proposed Tanzania Angola railway connection remains an initiative without a publicly announced completion date. Its eventual impact will depend on the financing, construction and coordination required to bring the different railway systems together. The immediate developments surrounding TAZARA’s rehabilitation and the Zambia Lobito Railway provide important foundations, but the wider transcontinental ambition will require sustained cooperation between the countries involved.
If realised, the connection could give Southern Africa a more integrated transport network, linking mineral producing regions to the Atlantic and Indian Ocean while expanding the region’s options for trade with international markets.
