Tanzania and Angola Agree to Link Atlantic and Indian Oceans

President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and President João Lourenço of Angola announced a strategic agreement on October 29, 2026, to establish critical transport and trade links between their nations. The centerpiece of the deal is a plan to connect the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts by linking Angola's Lobito Corridor and Benguela Railway with Tanzania's TAZARA railway network. This cross-border line would traverse Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, providing regional cargo operators access to the ports of Lobito and Dar es Salaam to facilitate mineral and agricultural exports.

While the initiative builds on existing upgrades funded by the United States, the European Union, and a US$1.4 billion rebuild of TAZARA by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the connecting link remains in the planning stage. No specific costs, routes, or construction start dates have been disclosed.

Beyond rail, the two countries signed an Air Services Agreement to launch direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Luanda. The leaders also signed agreements regarding meteorology, information and communications technology, and the transfer of sentenced persons. Additionally, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation entered preliminary talks to acquire a stake in Angola's planned Lobito oil refinery. This cooperation follows the first official state visit by an Angolan president to Tanzania since 1979.