• Government will use public financing for the first phase after private fundraising difficulties.

• Phase 1 includes 60 km of lines connecting key zones including the new international airport.

• Total project cost estimated at about $3 billion, with construction planned to start in 2026.

Angola shifts its financing strategy for Luanda’s surface metro as it struggles to secure private investors for the launch of construction. The project is valued at nearly  $3 billion and forms part of the capital’s broader urban-transport modernization program.

The Angolan government chooses public funds to start construction of the Luanda surface metro. The initial model expected private-sector participation. Transport Minister Ricardo D’Abreu says “the complexity of the project made it difficult for private investors to enter the first phase.” He states that future phases will involve private capital.

The first phase will build 60 kilometers of track linking strategic zones and infrastructure, including the António Agostinho Neto International Airport, located more than 40 kilometers from the city center. An existing express train currently connects downtown Luanda to the airport, but technical constraints limit train speeds and efficiency.

Authorities estimate the full project cost at $3 billion. The metro forms a core element of the Urban Mobility Improvement Program, which aims to ease transport constraints in Luanda, one of Africa’s most populous cities with more than 10 million residents according to World Population data. Final technical studies should conclude by December. The government plans to start construction in 2026.

This article was initially published in French by Henoc Dossa

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum