Lobito Corridor Forum Generates Strong Investment Pipeline as Stakeholders Shift Focus to Implementation
Lusaka, 5 June 2026 – The Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), in partnership with the European Union Delegation to Zambia and COMESA, today convened a dissemination meeting to share findings from the 2025 EU-Zambia Lobito Corridor Business Forum (LCBF) and review progress made in advancing investment opportunities emerging from the Forum.
The Lobito Corridor is a key priority under President Hakainde Hichilema’s agenda to drive economic transformation, industrialisation, regional trade, and private sector-led growth. The initiative seeks to position Zambia as a competitive investment destination while unlocking opportunities for investment, value addition, exports, and job creation.
Speaking at the report dissemination event, Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, Ms. Kusobile Kamwambi, said the Lobito Corridor Business Forum, held at Ciela Resort in Chongwe, November 2025, represented an important milestone in Zambia’s efforts to position itself as a competitive investment and trade destination.
“The Forum was not intended to be a stand-alone event, but the beginning of a structured process aimed at converting opportunities into tangible investments, jobs, enterprises, and economic growth,” Ms. Kamwambi said.
Mr. Claudio Bacigalupi, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Zambia and COMESA, highlighted the continental relevance of the Lobito economic Corridor. “It is a real flagship initiative for the entire continent – possibly the most important infrastructure to be developed in Africa in the years to come. For the European Union, it is a unique opportunity to demonstrate that infrastructure of this kind does not simply connect one point to another but develops the entire economy and the lives of people living along the corridor”, he said.
Findings from the Forum Report confirmed the emergence of a strong investment and partnership pipeline across Agriculture, Energy, Manufacturing, Critical Raw Materials, Infrastructure and Logistics, and the Green Economy.
The November 2025 Forum attracted more than 1,050 delegates from Zambia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, EU Member States, and regional institutions. More than 200 SMEs participated, while over 370 structured Business-to-Business, Business-to-Government, and Government-to-Government meetings were held. Approximately 30-35% of participating SMEs were women- and youth-led enterprises.
The report indicates that the Forum has evolved from a networking event into an emerging investment-facilitation platform, fostering significant business connections, enhancing investor engagement, building strategic partnerships, and creating a growing pipeline of investment opportunities.
Additionally, opportunities generated since the Forum include investment partnerships, financing arrangements, joint ventures, offtake agreements, supply chain linkages, technology transfer, and export market opportunities. Agriculture and agribusiness emerged as the leading source of opportunities, followed by energy, manufacturing, critical raw materials, infrastructure, and the green economy.
The report also noted that numerous opportunities are advancing through due diligence, project preparation, financing discussions, and negotiation stages, with respondents expecting significant progress over the next 6 to 24 months.
Ms. Kamwambi emphasised that success would ultimately be measured not by the number of meetings held or reports produced, but by the number of investments facilitated, partnerships established, enterprises supported, and jobs created.
Echoing this focus on implementation, Mr. Bacigalupi confirmed that the EU is already building upon the momentum generated by the Forum in order to bring European investors closer to the most promising opportunities along the Corridor. He equally emphasised that the Lobito Corridor is first and foremost an African-owned and African-led project, to which the EU is proud to contribute as one important partner alongside others.
To strengthen post-Forum coordination and accelerate the conversion of pipeline opportunities into investments, stakeholders also discussed establishing a Joint Investment Facilitation Committee (JIFC) to support investment tracking, resolution of bottlenecks, investor engagement, and investment facilitation.
The meeting concluded with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to maintaining the momentum generated by the Forum and working collectively to convert opportunities into investments, enterprises, jobs, exports, and inclusive economic growth.
Ends
Contact for more information:
Euphrasia Mapulanga, Communication Specialist, Presidential Delivery Unit
Mobile: 0768 622786
Email: Euphrasia. Mapulanga@pdu.gov.zm
Ms. Nchimunya Vanessa Mweemba, Press and Information Officer, EU Delegation to Zambia & COMESA, Tel. +260 97 0007092
Email: nchimunya.mweemba@eeas.europa.eu