Global Power Contest around Lobito
The still-unfinished Lobito Corridor has turned Angola into an unexpected arena where Beijing, Brussels and Washington jostle for influence. Each power frames the rail-and-port megaproject as a catalyst for regional trade, signalling that control of logistics now equals leverage over Africa’s Atlantic façade.
Chinese, European and American envoys have arrived in Luanda with financing offers and diplomatic courtesies, seeking a strategic foothold beyond Angola’s famous oil blocks. Their rare alignment on one project underscores Lobito’s promise: whoever helps complete it could shape the country’s post-oil narrative.
Rafael Marques and the Propaganda Claim
Investigative journalist Rafael Marques, founder of the watchdog platform Maka Angola, views the fanfare with scepticism. He calls the corridor “an instrument of propaganda for President Lourenço and the West,” arguing that grand ribbon-cuttings distract from unresolved social grievances and entrenched corruption. Marques’s critique echoes his long battle against blood diamonds, nepotism and police violence.
For the activist, external praise risks normalising domestic shortcomings. “Growth and jobs will not materialise simply because engines roll out of Lobito,” he warns, pointing to decades of projects announced with flair but rarely completed with accountability.
Oil Dependency and Reform Stagnation
Angola’s economy remains tied to volatile oil prices despite six years of President Lourenço’s tenure. Low diversification leaves households exposed whenever the barrel dips, feeding a cycle of poverty and unemployment that Marques says still defines daily life for millions.
The government has pledged reforms since 2017, yet implementation stumbles. Marques laments limited progress on transparent budgeting, public-sector efficiency and civic freedoms—prerequisites, he stresses, for turning megaprojects into inclusive growth rather than elite enrichment.
Western and Chinese Stakes in Growth
For Washington and Brussels, supporting Lobito offers a chance to showcase “high-standards infrastructure” while presenting an alternative to China’s long head start. Beijing, accustomed to funding Angolan oil projects, sees continuity: leverage infrastructural finance to secure commodity supply and political goodwill.
Diplomats privately concede that success depends less on their chequebooks than on Luanda’s policy environment. Without credible reforms, even state-of-the-art rail lines may underperform. Marques’s argument thus complicates foreign narratives that equate steel tracks with instant development.
Domestic Priorities before Mega-Projects
Marques’s critique resonates with citizens who measure prosperity not in cargo tonnage but in reliable jobs, affordable food and equal justice. He contends that Lobito’s visibility cannot obscure shortcomings in education funding or police accountability, issues he has documented for years.
Yet the corridor also symbolises Angola’s effort to think beyond crude exports, a goal few disagree with. The challenge, says the activist, is sequencing: invest in human capital and governance first, so that infrastructure returns benefit the wider society rather than fuel new patronage networks.
Whether Lobito becomes a developmental artery or a showcase without substance will depend on the political will in Luanda. External powers can underwrite rails and ports, but only Angolan reforms—long promised, still pending—can ensure that the corridor moves more than headlines.
