ANGOLA Trends and Developments Contributed by: José Miguel Oliveira, António Caxito Marques, Caio de Mello Ferreira and João Saiago Canjeque, VdA
Maritime Courts Angola does not have specialised maritime courts. Instead, it has a dedicated chamber for maritime matters within the common courts. However, various voices in the country, including prosecutors and law - yers, have called for not only greater awareness of the existence of the existing maritime chamber within the district courts, which is still unknown to many people, but also for the creation of specialised maritime courts as permitted by Article 176 of the Angolan Constitu - tion. As Angola seeks to diversify its economy, the ship - ping sector has emerged as a critical growth area, with the potential to boost the country’s economic development significantly. This move towards spe - cialised courts would build trust and confidence in the maritime sector and help to create a more favour - able investment climate by providing investors with a specialised platform for resolving maritime disputes. This would also be in line with the overall national strategy for maritime governance, as better analysed in the “IMSAS and Abuja MoU Commitments” section above.
International Co-Operation In December 2025, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) signed a loan agreement with Lobito Atlantic Railway, the concessionaire of the Lobito Corridor’s railway and port. The facility sup - ports the rehabilitation and operation of the brownfield mineral port in Lobito and approximately 1,300 km of brownfield rail line in Angola from Lobito Port to Luau on the Angolan border. DFC’s investment – along - side that of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) – is expected to increase Lobito’s transporta - tion capacity tenfold to 4.6 million metric tons and reduce the cost of transporting critical minerals by up to 30%, thereby facilitating open access to mineral- rich regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. This agreement follows the Memorandum of Under - standing establishing the US–Angola Trade and Investment Partnership signed in November 2024 and complements other partnerships concluded at the end of 2024, including the PGI Lobito Trans Africa Corridor Summit (aimed at developing the Lobito Corridor and investing in infrastructure to connect the Atlantic and Indian Oceans), the Memorandum of Understanding for Infrastructure Capacity Building between Ango - la’s Ministry of Transportation and the United States Agency for International Development, and the Memo - randum of Understanding between Angola’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the United States Department of Commerce.
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