Lobito and Banana corridors offer major economic potential but lack citizen involvement, says Crefdl

A report published on October 23, 2026, by the Centre for Research in Public Finance and Local Development (Crefdl) says the Lobito and Banana corridors offer significant economic opportunities for the DRC, but citizens have little involvement in their implementation. The Sakania-Banana corridor could cut container transit costs by 25 to 30%, open up 11 provinces and create 55,000 jobs; its road network is estimated to cost $1.8 billion and its rail network $8–10 billion. Banana port is expected to handle more than 32,000 containers annually. The 1,739-kilometre Lobito corridor between Kolwezi and Lobito aims to raise monthly export freight capacity from 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes by year-end and to 100,000 tonnes in the longer term.