All-American Rail Group to Connect Luanda Railway to the Democratic Republic of Congo
On 10 December 2023, the All-American Rail Group (AARG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Luanda with the Ministry of Transport to support the integration of the northern country’s railway expansion plan. This project, valued at 4.5 billion dollars, aims to connect the Luanda railway to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Designed to reinforce Angola’s food security, it will support agricultural expansion in Uíge, Kwanza-Norte, Bengo, Malanje, and Zaire in close synergy with the logistic platforms of Soyo, Malanje, Luvo, and Lombe. The interconnection with the DRC will enable the export of oil, timber, and minerals to the Atlantic countries.
“All-American Rail Group is committed to Angola,” said Mustafa Ocalir, a member of the company’s Board of Directors. He added, “This Memorandum of Understanding is our first step in supporting the expansion plan of the Angolan railway network, a critical issue for the diversification of the economy and job creation. However, it should be understood that the North Corridor is not just a railway. We intend to build and integrate the railway with logistic platforms and a port in this agricultural region, to advance the ambitious PlanAgrão and reinforce the country’s food security.” He also stressed that the group places great importance on the partnership now initiated with the Ministry of Transport and that they are ready to make available to Angola their capacity to build, operate and finance railway and logistic projects.
Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu took the opportunity to highlight the development potential of the North Corridor, “which, although ending in Malanje, can extend to the North and East of the country – the most populous regions of the country with natural characteristics conducive to the implementation of agribusiness, commerce, industry, and tourism activities.” The Minister of Transport recalled, however, that “The Sector Master Plan advocates the extension of the three national corridors to the borders with neighbouring countries, with the primary objective of enhancing connections to the respective coastal ports, facilitating cross-border trade and stimulating the real economy in Angola.”
Given the importance of this memorandum of understanding, the Ministry of Transport will create a working group chaired by the holder of the portfolio, composed of officials from the National Directorate for the Economy of Concessions, the Luanda Railway, the National Land Transport Agency and the All-American Rail Group.
The All-American Rail Group (AARG) is a railway consortium based in Houston, Texas, consisting of six American railway and infrastructure companies. In the last five years, AARG and its partners have billed US$ 19.7 billion, having built and managed 3,000 railway projects in the United States, of which more than 200 are large-scale projects. It should also be noted that it has financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States and plans to soon open a representative office in Luanda.
