The Lobito Corridor to connect Angola, the DRC and Zambia: advisors

Morais Leitão and ALC Advogados, the exclusive member of the Morais Leitão Legal Circle network in Angola, together with the Clifford Chance (Washington), advised the US International Development Finance Corporation and the Development Bank of South Africa on the structuring and negotiation of the financing operation for the Lobito Corridor Project. This project was awarded to Lobito Atlantic Railway, a concessionaire supported by the Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis consortium. On the concessionaire side, Vieira de Almeida and Prime Advogados, member of VdA Legal Partners in Angola, were involved, alongside Latham & Watkins (London).

The Lobito Corridor aims to connect Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, facilitating regional trade by multiplying transport capacity between countries. The operation involved structuring a financing agreement, as well as conducting a structural analysis of the respective contractual and regulatory framework.

The Morais Leitão and ALC team included partners André de Sousa Vieira, Irina Neves Ferreira, Diana Ettner, Filipe Lowndes Marques, principal associate Frederico Távora Pedro and associate Carolina Nagy Correia, who led the local advisory team for the project, supporting Clifford Chance alongside lenders.

The VdA/Prime team was led by partner Teresa Empis Falcão and included Susana Almeida Brandão, Cristina Melo Miranda and Jéssica Araújo, from the corporate and M&A practice, and Catarina Coimbra, from the infrastructure & mobility practice. The team also benefited from the contribution of Rita Costa Lima, Beatriz Baião do Nascimento, Soraia Jamal, Constança Lourenço and Bernardo Núncio. André Gaspar Martins and Eduardo Moita were also involved, advising on public law matters.

Pictured, from left to right: André de Sousa Vieira, Irina Neves Ferreira, Diana Ettner, and Filipe Lowndes Marques, from Morais Leitão.