• Angola opens $635 million Luvo border complex
• Facility consolidates customs, police, immigration services
• Project aims boost DRC trade under AfCFTA

Angola has inaugurated new facilities at the Luvo border post in Zaire Province, near the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in a project authorities say will strengthen sub-regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The complex, which cost 583 billion kwanzas ($635.8 million), is designed to serve as a strategic trade gateway. It comprises 38 interconnected buildings that bring customs, police, immigration and phytosanitary services together under one roof, replacing a system in which agencies operated from separate locations.

Beyond administrative consolidation, the project aims to facilitate cross-border trade with the DRC. Around 50 cargo trucks cross the border daily. Authorities say the new facilities will improve customs oversight, enhance revenue collection and curb informal trade. The government also intends to develop a border logistics hub capable of attracting private investment in storage, light processing and related services.

The Luvo post forms part of broader investments aimed at strengthening transport corridors linking the DRC’s interior to Angolan ports, in line with Luanda’s ambition to position itself as a regional logistics hub. While current trade volumes remain modest, officials expect traffic to increase gradually as continental integration advances and the cross-border business environment improves.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), Angola exported goods worth $173 million to the DRC in 2024, including raw iron bars, tugboats and iron ingots. Imports from the DRC totalled $5.42 million, mainly machinery, beauty products and surveying equipment.

Henoc Dossa