SADC facilitates meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the three (3) Lobito Corridor Member States to accelerating implementation of activities of the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA)

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will facilitate the first meeting of the Committee of Ministers from the three (3) Lobito Corridor Member States, namely the Republics of Angola and Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is scheduled to take place in Lobito, Angola on 16thDecember 2023. The purpose of this meeting is to review and assess the progress of activities aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation programme reaffirming the commitment made by three heads of state. 

The Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation (LCTTF) Agreement was signed in Lobito, Angola, on 27thJanuary 2023, by the three Corridor Member States. This agreement serves as a framework for the three Member States to collaborate in the development of harmonised corridor laws, policies, regulations, and systems, including infrastructure development, in a coordinated and coherent manner in accordance with the provisions of the SADC Treaty, Protocols, and development frameworks such as the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020 - 2030, the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) 2020 - 2027, and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (SISR) 2015 - 2063.

Furthermore, the meeting aims to review strategies for expediting the development of the Lobito Corridor while also establishing sector-specific sub-committees in the fields of transport, particularly road, railway, aviation, port, and marine; trade and value chains; energy; and Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT).

By following the SADC/Tripartite model laws, these sub-committees will ensure the harmonisation of policies, laws, and regulations, the formulation of a sustainability strategy for the corridor, and the creation of a comprehensive infrastructure plan. Additionally, they will facilitate the mobilisation of resources for regional priority infrastructure projects and ensure efficient coordination of resources for project implementation.

The harmonised policies, laws, and regulations, coupled with the developed infrastructure, will support the growth of economic clusters and enhance the participation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the value chains of the mining and agriculture sectors. Moreover, the adoption of Simplified Trade Regimes (STR) will facilitate trade for Small Scale Cross Border Traders (SSCBT). 

Among other objectives, the meeting aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• Establish an interim Secretariat for the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA) and develop a draft framework for terms and conditions of service.

• Review and recommend coordination mechanisms under LCTTFA involving the United States Government, the European Commission, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) in collaboration with the Lobito Corridor Member States for the development of the Lobito Corridor.

• Approve sub-committees to devise mechanisms and roadmap for establishing dry ports for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia at the port of Lobito in Angola.

• Consider bilateral trade agreements to be acceded to the LCTTFA Agreement.

• Emphasize the need for Corridor Member States to expedite the ratification process of the LCTTFA Agreement.

The Ministers meeting will be preceded by the meeting of Technical Experts and Senior Officials from various sectors that are relevant to the operations of the Lobito Corridor in the three Member States who will convene on 14 – 15 December 2023 in preparation for the Ministers Meeting. In addition, the meeting will be attended by International Cooperating Partners (ICPs) from the European Union, United States, Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and many others.