Today, Montenegro’s official visit to Angola concludes with a trip to Benguela.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro ends his three-day official visit to Angola this Thursday with a trip to the western province of Benguela to see the Lobito Corridor project.

After a first day marked by a meeting with the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, and the signing of bilateral agreements, and a second day dedicated to the economic aspect of the visit, Luís Montenegro leaves Luanda this Thursday to learn about the most emblematic events of the country.

With funding from the United States and the European Union, the Lobito Corridor connects the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico and integrates as infrastructure the Port of Lobito, the Mineiro terminal, Catumbela airport and the Benguela railway, expanding connectivity to the mining areas of the Copper Belt in Zambia and Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, facilitating faster exports of cobalt, copper and other ores from these countries.

Portugal is fighting to make Angola a priority in the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, mobilizing international funding to allow Portuguese companies to establish themselves along the corridor, according to the Portuguese government.

The Prime Minister will be received in Benguela by the Governor of that province, Luis Neves, with whom he will hold a short meeting.

This will be followed by a visit to the future facilities of the Consulate General in that city, a project that should be completed by the end of 2025 and which the government considers “fundamental to strengthen the Portuguese presence in Angola”, which could support companies and the Portuguese community in that part of the country.

Montenegro will then visit the largest solar photovoltaic power plant in Angola, Central Solar do Biópio, the port of Lobito, and then arrive at the Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela and the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR).

The LAR consortium, comprising Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis, was awarded in 2022 a concession to operate, manage and maintain the Lobito rail corridor, which runs through Angola to the African Copper Belt, and the mineral terminal at the port of Lobito for a period of 30 years.

Luis Montenegro will return to Luanda later in the day, where he will be given full military honours at a farewell ceremony at the Presidential Palace, with a press conference and dinner hosted by Portugal’s Ambassador to Luanda, Francisco Alegre Duarte, before flying overnight to Lisbon, where he will arrive early on Friday.