Tanzania and Angola have agreed to pursue a railway connection linking Africa’s Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts through Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in a major initiative aimed at strengthening regional trade and transport infrastructure.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced the agreement on Thursday following talks with Angolan President João Lourenço, outlining plans to integrate two of the continent’s most important transport corridors.
The proposed connection would link Angola’s Benguela Railway, which serves the Atlantic port of Lobito, with the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) network, providing access to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam.
The project would effectively connect the Lobito Corridor in western Africa with the Central Corridor in the east, creating a transcontinental railway route through some of the continent’s most resource-rich regions.
Hassan did not provide a timeline for construction or completion.
The initiative comes amid growing international competition to develop African transport infrastructure, particularly railway networks serving major copper and cobalt-producing regions in Zambia and the DRC.
China, which originally financed the construction of TAZARA in the 1970s, signed a $1.4 billion agreement with Tanzania and Zambia in 2025 to modernise the ageing railway.
The historic railway was designed to provide landlocked Zambia with an alternative export route for its copper while facilitating imports of fuel and other essential goods through Dar es Salaam.
Meanwhile, the United States and European Union have backed the development of the Lobito Corridor, which seeks to improve access between mineral-producing regions in central Africa and Angola’s Atlantic coast.
The two railway networks have traditionally been viewed as competing transport routes, reflecting broader Western and Chinese investment interests in African infrastructure.
However, the proposed Tanzania-Angola connection could integrate the corridors, potentially expanding trade opportunities and providing businesses with greater flexibility in transporting goods between the two oceans.
Earlier this week, Italian construction company Webuild was selected as part of the preferred consortium to develop a section of the Zambia-Lobito Railway Corridor, marking another step towards expanding the western route.
Cooperation extends to energy investments
Beyond railway development, Angola has invited Tanzania to participate in its Lobito oil refinery project, as the two governments explore deeper cooperation in energy infrastructure.
Hassan said the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation was assessing the commercial viability of investing in the refinery.
Tanzania is also considering other regional refining opportunities as East African governments seek to strengthen fuel security and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.
The country has yet to announce whether it will acquire a stake in a refinery project being developed in Kenya by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.
East African governments have been offered a combined 30% ownership stake in that project, with Kenya and Rwanda already committing to participation.
Separately, Tanzania and Uganda are discussing plans to develop a joint oil refinery at the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
The proposed railway connection and potential energy partnerships underscore efforts by Tanzania and Angola to expand economic cooperation while positioning their transport networks as important gateways for trade across the African continent.
