Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba said preparations were underway for an international tender to rehabilitate the Tenke-Kolwezi-Dilolo rail section, scheduled for April 2026, with construction expected to begin in the final quarter of the year.

The announcement was made at the first Lobito Corridor coordination meeting, held on February 5, 2025, in Luanda, Angola.

According to feasibility studies presented last September by a delegation of experts from the European Union and the United States, the rehabilitation of the Dilolo-Kolwezi-Tenke railway line—the Congolese segment of the corridor—will require between $400 million and $410 million in investment, in addition to maintenance costs estimated at $180 million over a ten-year period.

The government has yet to specify the project’s delivery structure, though a public-private partnership (PPP) is under consideration. Officials said the Democratic Republic of Congo has initiated institutional reforms aimed at establishing a PPP framework aligned with international standards.

Officials also confirmed that the World Bank will coordinate the project’s financial and technical structuring. The Bretton Woods institution has been appointed lead arranger by the DRC and has committed $500 million in financing.

Emergency repairs underway

Pending full-scale rehabilitation, Bemba said emergency repairs are being carried out on nearly 80 kilometres of critical sections to maintain rail operations.

Meanwhile, feasibility studies are continuing on the Tenke-Lubumbashi-Sakania section, with World Bank support. A call for co-financing has been launched for this stretch. According to the studies presented last September, extending the line to the Zambian border will require at least $690 million in investment.

In a statement released on December 5, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) said it had issued a letter of intent to Mota-Engil, signalling its willingness to finance the rehabilitation, operation and transfer of the Dilolo-Sakania railway line for more than $1 billion.

Mota-Engil is part of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium, alongside Trafigura and Vecturis. The consortium has held a 30-year concession since July 2022 to operate and modernise the Angolan section of the corridor.

Ronsard Luabeya