Lobito - The United States of America will continue to make investments for the development of the Lobito Corridor, regardless of the new administration led by President Donald Trump, ANGOP learned on Thursday, Jan 23.
The guarantee comes from the first secretary of the North American Embassy in Angola, Anthony Eterno, when he spoke to journalists, on the sidelines of a visit to the Lobito Port.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the USA on January 20th.
Despite being in Angola for just a few months, Anthony Eterno said that the perspective is to strengthen ties and work together for both countries' benefit.
He said in his opinion the relationship between the US and Angola is quite sustainable, so there would be no changes between the policy of the outgoing administration and the current one.
The diplomat said he was impressed by the potential of the Lobito Port, from infrastructure, equipment, national and international security, internal politics, as well as the relationship with its partners.
The USA has already invested more than USD 600 million in the Lobito Corridor, aimed at agricultural infrastructure projects, renovation of the railway line, increasing train speeds, among other improvements.
On the occasion, the Port of Lobito Board Chair, Celso Rosas, considered that the arrival of the 1st secretary to Lobito is a demonstration that the American Govt remains committed to consolidating the strategic relationship with Angola.
"It has been demonstrated that the projects that are underway will continue and, on the contrary, will have a new pace of development and growth", he highlighted.
Celso Rosas also said that, in the port sphere, they have been working very seriously with the American Coast Guard.
He took the opportunity to announce that a delegation from the American Coast Guard will come to Lobito in the coming days, with the aim of continuing with the advice and consultancy it has been providing, in order to improve the operational and port security system.
"Ports are part of an international maritime network and ours is one of them, so having the support of developed countries is always an added value", he considered.
The Port of Lobito, built in 1903, is one of the most important infrastructures in the Lobito Corridor, along with the Benguela Railways (CFB).
The Port's operations began in 1928, but it was in 2012 that it underwent a major intervention for its modernization, with cutting-edge infrastructure and equipment.
On Dec 11, 2023, it became a Landlord Port, with the concession of the multipurpose terminal (general and containerized cargo) to Africa Global Logistics (AGL), followed by the mineral miner in favor of Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR).
The AGL consortium is responsible for handling the goods, both import and export, with the support of ships, while LAR is responsible for transporting heavy cargo by rail.
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