Africa: New trade corridors crucial to easing logistics bottlenecks, Mining Indaba hears

Executives from mining, banking and infrastructure companies argued that Africa’s challenge is not simply distance to ports, but inefficiency

Shorter, more diversified trade corridors are emerging as a potential solution to chronic logistics delays that constrain African mining exports and raise costs across supply chains, speakers said at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town this week.

Executives from mining, banking and infrastructure companies argued that Africa’s challenge is not simply distance to ports, but inefficiency – from border delays and fragmented regulation to misaligned cross-border planning. New rail, road and port links could improve reliability, but only if governments and industry coordinate systems across entire value chains.

Logistics now a strategic issue

For miners operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), logistics has become central to production planning.

Iqbal Rasool, chief commercial officer at Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), said the landlocked nature of the country means companies must simultaneously manage exports of copper and cobalt and imports of critical operating inputs such as fuel and machinery.

“Logistics is not just a support function… it shapes our daily operational realities,” he said.

Any disruption to inbound supplies quickly affects exports and customers. Border delays, manual documentation processes and multiple checkpoints make transit times unpredictable and increase costs, he added.

“These delays create operational risk and add friction across the value chain,” Rasool said, noting that cost predictability often matters more than physical distance when selecting routes to market.

He said the solution requires an end-to-end system approach rather than isolated fixes at individual border posts or transport segments.

New infrastructure, trade corridors taking shape

Several new projects aim to reduce congestion on traditional export routes to southern African ports.

Klaus Findt, CEO of GED Africa, outlined a cross-border road and bridge project linking Zambia and the DRC, including a one-stop border post designed to streamline customs procedures.

The development will connect existing road networks with a 184-km highway and a bridge across the Luapula River – creating what he said would be the DRC’s first one-stop border facility.

“The key focus is efficiency,” Findt said. The project is intended to ease congestion and provide a faster route toward East African ports such as Dar es Salaam.

He said the cross-border structure has been complex to implement, with funding, guarantees and coordination across jurisdictions posing major challenges. However, construction has begun and operations are targeted for 2027.

Lobito corridor gains traction

Rail is also central to corridor development.

Nicolas Gregoir, chief operating officer of Lobito Atlantic Railway, described the Lobito Corridor – linking Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito with the Copperbelt in the DRC and Zambia – as a multi-country trade system designed to support both mining and community development.

The company holds a 30-year concession to operate about 1,300km of railway between Lobito port and the DRC border and manages the mineral terminal at the port.

Copper is exported in containers while sulphur and other inputs are imported to mines inland. 

Transit times from inland dry ports to the coast can be around eight days, significantly faster than some established routes.

“Our key focus is safety, reliability and cost,” Gregoir said.

He added that volumes have increased sharply and further expansion is planned with additional locomotives, wagons and infrastructure upgrades.

Politics and alignment for trade corridors

Despite growing momentum, corridor projects often take years to materialise.

Olivier Binyingo, executive vice-president for DRC and strategic projects at Ivanhoe Mines, said engineering challenges are often easier to solve than governance issues.

“The big reason these projects take so long is insufficient alignment between stakeholders,” he said.

Cross-border projects require coordination between national governments, provincial authorities, state-owned enterprises and communities. Misaligned priorities, competing routes and political considerations frequently undermine bankability, he said.

Even when one country develops infrastructure quickly, a corridor cannot function unless matching capacity exists across the border.

Financing and market realities

Sean Evans, executive vice-president for mining and metals at Standard Bank, said rising copper demand linked to the energy transition will put increasing pressure on freight capacity across Central and Southern Africa.

“Freight is like water… it follows the path of least resistance,” he said.

Shorter corridors could help unlock logistics potential, but distance alone is not decisive. 

Reliability, border clearance times, capacity and cost ultimately determine route choices. Established routes such as the Durban corridor will continue to play a role because of their scale and existing infrastructure, he said.

Systemic reforms still needed

Panellists agreed that infrastructure alone will not solve Africa’s logistics constraints.

Rasool said

• harmonised regulations,
• digital tracking systems and
• coordinated planning across borders

are equally important. Technology platforms that provide real-time visibility across the supply chain could significantly improve efficiency.

“No single corridor will solve the problem. All corridors need to work together and provide optionality.”

He added that resilient and interconnected transport systems could transform supply chains from a growth constraint into a competitive advantage for the continent.

The panellists agreed that shorter routes may help, but Africa’s logistics breakthrough will depend on cooperation – aligning governments, financiers and industry – to make trade corridors function as integrated networks rather than isolated projects. ESI

Cover photo: Experts at Investing in African Mining Indaba 2026 discuss the importance of trade corridors in Africa. Source: Mining Indaba