SENEGAL
Charting a New Course: ECOWAS’ Praia-Dakar Maritime Link and Regional Growth
Amid growing momentum for regional connectivity in West Africa, ECOWAS is steering the Praia-Dakar maritime link project toward becoming a reality by the end of 2026. A pivotal workshop held in Dakar on 30 June 2025 brought together transport experts, national authorities, financiers, and ECOWAS officials to shape the path forward for this ambitious initiative.
The workshop’s agenda was comprehensive: defining governance and operational frameworks, assessing financial viability, and pinpointing mixed financing mechanisms such as public private partnerships and regional funding. Social, environmental, and economic impact assessments are under review, alongside mitigation strategies and long-term sustainability performance indicators.
ECOWAS leadership underscored the strategic value of the link. Chris Appiah, Transport Director of the ECOWAS Commission, emphasized that this maritime connection would integrate Cabo Verde—an island nation—into the broader West African network. In turn, Senegal’s road infrastructure head, Mamoudou Alassane Camara, urged member states to unite behind ECOWAS’s vision, stating: “What unites us is more important than what divides us”.
For its part, Senegal’s Maritime Affairs Agency, led by Becaye Diop, reaffirmed a political pledge made during President Faye’s May 2024 visit to Praia, where a bilateral commitment was forged with Cape Verdean authorities to establish the maritime link. The project is integral to the Praia-Dakar-Abidjan multimodal corridor, a transformative infrastructure corridor meant to span sea, road, and rail connecting eight ECOWAS member states.
Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone are all positioned to benefit from a unified transport network that underpins the broader economic development agenda of ECOWAS.
Beyond immediate logistical benefits, this project signifies a broader strategic shift: ECOWAS is actively pursuing infrastructure that can anchor a regional economic hub. The Praia-Dakar link, together with rail and road extensions toward Abidjan, aims not only to boost trade but also to reaffirm the ambition of turning West Africa into a self-reliant, interconnected region. With the right institutional and operational frameworks in place, the Praia-Dakar maritime connection holds the potential to transform regional trade dynamics—and with it, the future economic trajectory of West Africa.
Sources: maritimereview.co.za | logistafrica.com
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
DRC’s Strategic Pivot: U.S.-Backed Boost to Agriculture, Health and Infrastructure
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is poised for transformation thanks to a deepening partnership with the United States focused on agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure. In mid-June 2025, Kinshasa hosted U.S. delegates for a high impact campaign to mobilize investments in agriculture and health, underscoring efforts to tackle food insecurity and improve medical access in rural regions across the country.
This initiative complements the ambitious Lobito Corridor project, presented at the US Africa Business Summit in Luanda. The corridor—a rail and sea link spanning Angola, the DRC and Zambia—is portrayed by Congolese leaders as both a strategic peace investment and a development engine. Inclusive financing through G7 partners, the African Development Bank, and Africa Finance Corporation pushes total international investment over $6 billion. U.S. support through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and financing via the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)—including a $553 million loan—reinforces American backing for the Lobito Corridor as a strategic U.S. flagship project in Africa, countering Chinese influence.
Congolese officials characterize the Corridor as more than transport. They see it as a stabilizing investment that drives regional development and peace-building efforts. It directly links DRC’s copper‑cobalt provinces (especially Katanga) to Lobito port, reducing transit times from over 30 days to under 10—boosting export efficiency and government revenues. Projections suggest creation of tens of thousands of jobs, aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Meanwhile, the agricultural and health campaign mobilizes U.S. resources to support sustainable food systems and medical services across underserved provinces. This multilevel engagement underscores a broader strategy: advancing human capital through farming innovation and healthcare access, while building infrastructure that links mining regions to global markets.
Together, these interconnected efforts mark a pivotal shift in the DRC’s development trajectory—pairing grassroots social investment with grand infrastructure strategy - to drive prosperity, stability and regional integration.
Sources: congoquotidien.com | presidence.cd/actualite-detail
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ANGOLA
Deals, Power, and Progress: $2.5 Billion Pours into Africa from Luanda Summit
The 17th U.S.–Africa Business Summit, held in Luanda from June 22 to 25, 2025, marked a watershed moment in commercial diplomacy, generating over $2.5 billion in new agreements between American companies and African partners. More than 2,700 delegates—among them 12 African heads of state—attended, underscoring a shared commitment to trade-led economic growth.
Major projects unveiled reflect a push into sectors key to long-term regional development. Amer-Con, with Angola’s logistics regulator, will build and operate 22 grain silo terminals along the Lobito Corridor; the project is backed by the U.S. Export-Import Bank and aims to strengthen Angola’s agricultural supply chain. In digital infrastructure, Cybastion signed a $170 million agreement with Angola Telecom under its “Digital Fast Track” initiative, including cybersecurity upgrades and local tech training.
Energy and industrial deals also featured prominently. A U.S.–based consortium will partner on a liquefied natural gas terminal in Sierra Leone, supporting the 108 MW Nant Power Project to expand energy access. A power deal in the Great Lakes region saw U.S. firm Anzana Electric commit to a 10% equity stake in the $760 million Ruzizi III hydropower plant, set to serve some 30 million people across Rwanda and the DRC. While a full binding partnership has not yet been closed, a letter of intent was signed.
Additionally, a major transmission corridor from Angola to DRC mines was secured by Hydro‑Link in a $1.5 billion deal to deliver up to 1.2 gigawatts of hydropower across 1,150 km, strengthening regional mining infrastructure.
These agreements reflect a clear strategic shift: U.S. engagement with Africa is now centered on commercial partnership and investment rather than aid alone. The focus on agriculture, digital transformation, energy, and infrastructure signals a new era of sustained economic collaboration—anchored in trade, innovation, and shared prosperity across the continent.
Sources: africa-news-agency.com | angop.ao | www.state.gov/releases | empowerafrica.com
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