• EU launches €11 million projects in Kolwezi, targeting trade and youth skills

• €6M eases Lobito Corridor customs; €5M boosts digital job training

• Corridor links Angola port to DRC-Zambia mining hubs, backed by global funding

The European Union has launched two projects worth a combined €11 million ($12.7 million) in Kolwezi, in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the EU delegation in the DRC said Monday.

The first, worth €6 million, aims to ease trade by simplifying customs procedures along the Lobito Corridor. The second, valued at €5 million, will improve digital skills among young people to boost their job prospects.

Both projects are being implemented by TradeMark Africa and GIZ under the “Team Europe” initiative, which brings together the European Union, its member states, technical partners, Congolese authorities and the private sector.

The Lobito Corridor links the Angolan port of Lobito to mining regions in the DRC and Zambia. In 2025, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) extended a $553 million loan to operator Lobito Atlantic Railway. The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) added a further $200 million to help modernise the strategic logistics and rail corridor.

Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba Province, is the DRC’s main mining hub. Central to the country’s copper and cobalt production, the city is undergoing extensive infrastructure upgrades.

Charlène N’dimon