“Since 2022 the United States and other G7 members have been working together to finance infrastructure projects that support economic growth all around the world,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted before a roundtable event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Speaking of the work of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, he said, “We’ve been bringing together governments, business, financial institutions to pool our resources, to pool our expertise.”
“The goal, the objective, is to build quality, sustainable infrastructure - from roads to clean energy to fiber optic cables. We’re doing this with the highest standards of transparency, labor and environmental protections in partnership with communities, to make sure that we’re being responsive to their needs.”
Over the last two years, the United States has mobilized $60 billion to support projects from South America to Southeast Asia to Africa. “The Lobito Corridor – connecting Angola, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo – is one of our biggest projects,” Secretary Blinken said.
“The coalition that we’ve built includes three African countries, two of our G7 partners, and the Africa Finance Cooperation and African Development Bank. … So far, the United States and our partners have committed over $4 billion to Lobito Corridor projects. Together we’re expanding access to clean energy, the internet, healthcare and we’re upgrading and building railways, roads, bridges.”
The results are tangible, he said, including much faster shipments of goods to ports by using trains rather than trucks. Now, for example, multiple international shipments are running every week, including to the United States, bringing copper to help fuel the clean energy transition.
“Regional shipments will soon include agricultural products to strengthen food supply chains. In January, I had a chance to visit Angola,” he said. “I heard from CEOs about investments they’re making in the Corridor, like developing solar grids to bring clean, affordable energy to more than a million people. Just moments ago, several members of the group announced new steps forward to build a railway connecting Zambia and the Port of Lobito.”
Tanzania, noted Secretary Blinken, is also joining conversations about the Lobito Corridor for the first time.
“This is an incredibly positive endeavor, one that’s already showing results,” said Secretary Blinken. “The possibilities are extraordinary. And the challenge before us is to continue to work to actually realize them.”
