Zambia Engages Brazil in Strategic Agricultural Cooperation for Lobito Corridor Development
A high-level Zambian delegation led by Finance and National Planning Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane and Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri has arrived in Brazil to strengthen bilateral cooperation aimed at boosting Zambia’s agricultural productivity and economic development along the Lobito Railway Development Corridor.
The delegation, welcomed in Brasilia by Zambia’s Ambassador to Brazil, Glyn Michelo, is undertaking a week-long mission facilitated in partnership with the World Bank. The objective is to engage Brazilian authorities and agricultural sector stakeholders in sharing knowledge, technical expertise, and best practices to inform the creation of a robust agriculture development master plan for the Lobito Corridor.
Speaking upon arrival, Dr. Musokotwane emphasized the mission’s strategic importance. “Our engagement here is focused on exchanging information to scale up economic productivity through agriculture,” he said. “We aim to encourage Brazilian investors to explore agricultural and agro-processing partnerships with Zambians along the Lobito Corridor.”
He added that President Hakainde Hichilema has provided clear guidance on the mission’s priorities: field visits to farms of various scales, stakeholder engagements across the agriculture value chain, and fostering bilateral cooperation that contributes to a viable and sustainable agri-based economy along the corridor.
“Our President envisions a business-friendly ecosystem that can attract global investment, and this mission is central to building that foundation,” Dr. Musokotwane stated.
Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri echoed these sentiments, pointing out that Brazil’s agricultural success offers important lessons for Zambia. “Brazil is a major global player in agriculture, and its model has created jobs, reduced poverty, and driven industrial growth,” he said. “President Hichilema is keen for Zambia to adopt similar best practices to grow our own agricultural sector inclusively and sustainably.”
The Zambian delegation includes top government and technical officials, such as Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit Kusobile Kamwambi, Permanent Secretary for Economic Management and Finance Mulele Maketo Mulele, and Director General of the Public-Private Dialogue Forum Andrew Chipwende.
Also part of the mission are key agriculture experts, including Dr. Chizumba Shepande and Dr. Ndashe Philimon Kapalu from the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from Silvia Giorgia Mauri of the World Bank Country Office in Zambia.
The Lobito Railway Development Corridor, which links Zambia to Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito via the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a strategic infrastructure that the Zambian government hopes to leverage for agriculture-led industrialization and regional trade expansion.
Brazil’s similar geography—savanna terrain, tropical rains, and abundant surface water—offers a comparable context for Zambia to draw valuable insights.
