Category: Videos

A webinar discussion about the purpose, scope, and impact of the significant international investments underway in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. These investments encompass rail, port, and electric supply infrastructure, as well as mining across a vast area of Southern and Central Africa.

The Lobito Corridor is rapidly emerging as a transformative artery for global trade. Connecting the mineral-rich regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito, this corridor is a flagship “Special Economic Zone” for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), which is a shared G7 commitment to advance public and private investments in sustainable, inclusive, resilient, and quality infrastructure.

Panelists include:

Elisa Yoshiara is a Ph.D. candidate and assistant policy researcher at RAND Corporation. She has published articles on the geopolitical dimension of the mining and processing of critical minerals supply chains, including on the Lobito Corridor, on sea mining, and on the concerns of various Asian countries vis-à-vis critical minerals.

Rui Santos Verde is a Research Associate within the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford, UK, and the he Centre Population et Développement at the University of Paris-Cité, France. His book, Redefining the China-Angola Relationship: Privatization, Development, and Disenchantment, was recently published.

Lucia Alfano is a Policy Officer in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission. She works in the Africa Directorate, Unit A1, where she is responsible for the Lobito Corridor. She oversees project coordination, manages internal and external stakeholders, and ensures coherence and flow of communication across the Directorate and the EU Delegations.

Sombo Muzata is Assistant Professor of Political Science, James Madison University, in Virginia, USA. Dr. Muzata has extensive NGO experience working with mining companies in Zambia to achieve positive Environmental, Social, and Governance outcomes. She received the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in 2016, which was a part of the U.S. government’s Young African Leaders Initiative

The Institute of World Affairs is proud to explore new frontiers in conflict transformation, as explained by Dr. Robert Barrett, our Senior Associate in Strategy, Culture, and Behavior.

Angola has one of the lowest levels of education in the world despite being a country richly endowed with natural resources. In this video conversation, education activist Rafael Marques de Morais explains how making education a human right can turn this situation around, empowering youth and contributing to the well-being of Angolans. As Executive Director of the Ufolo Good Governance Center, Rafael has been working with the private sector to build badly needed schools in Angola. He is also Senior Advisor to the Extractive Industries and Human Development Center at the Institute of World Affairs. Rafael is joined by Gregory Pirio, Director of the Extractive Industries and Human Development Center, who has studied the role of schools in the promotion of peace and social cohesion. Veteran journalist Paul Ndiho leads the conversation.

This video podcast is a collaboration between Ndiho Media and the Institute of World Affairs.