Copper: $9,245/t ▲ +2.1% | Cobalt: $24,800/t ▼ -1.3% | Lithium: $10,200/t ▲ +0.8% | Railway Progress: 67% ▲ +3pp Q4 | Corridor FDI: $14.2B ▲ +28% YoY | Angola GDP: 4.4% ▲ +3.2pp vs 2023 (2024) | DRC GDP: 6.1% ▼ -2.4pp vs 2023 (2024) | Zambia GDP: 3.8% ▼ -1.5pp vs 2023 (2024) | Copper: $9,245/t ▲ +2.1% | Cobalt: $24,800/t ▼ -1.3% | Lithium: $10,200/t ▲ +0.8% | Railway Progress: 67% ▲ +3pp Q4 | Corridor FDI: $14.2B ▲ +28% YoY | Angola GDP: 4.4% ▲ +3.2pp vs 2023 (2024) | DRC GDP: 6.1% ▼ -2.4pp vs 2023 (2024) | Zambia GDP: 3.8% ▼ -1.5pp vs 2023 (2024) |

Glossary

Comprehensive glossary of 27 key terms for the Lobito Corridor: ASM, CBA, CSDDD, critical minerals, DFI, ESG, FPIC, IFC Standards, and more.

Reference · Glossary

Glossary of Key Terms

27 essential terms for understanding the Lobito Corridor — from artisanal mining to value addition.

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    Source Pack

    This page is maintained against institutional source categories rather than anonymous aggregation. Factual claims should be checked against primary disclosures, regulator material, development-finance records, official datasets, company filings, or recognized standards before reuse.

    Editorial use: figures, dates, ownership positions, financing terms, capacity claims, and regulatory conclusions are treated as time-sensitive. Where sources conflict, this site prioritizes official documents, audited reporting, public filings, and independently verifiable standards.

    3TG (Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, Gold)

    3TG refers to tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold — the four minerals originally designated as conflict minerals under US and EU regulations due to their associat

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Artisanal Mining Cooperative

    An artisanal mining cooperative is a formal or semi-formal organisation of small-scale miners who pool resources, share equipment, and collectively negotiate wi

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

    China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure and investment programme launched in 2013, involving development and investment initiatives sp

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Beneficiation

    Beneficiation is the broad term for any process that improves the economic value of raw ore, including crushing, grinding, concentration, smelting, and refining

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Cape Gauge

    Cape gauge (1,067 mm or 3 ft 6 in) is the railway track gauge used across most of Southern and Central Africa, including the Lobito Corridor railway systems. Na

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Cathode

    A cathode is the final, refined copper product — a flat rectangular sheet of 99.99% pure copper produced through electrorefining or electrowinning. Copper catho

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Concentrate

    A concentrate is a semi-processed mineral product created by crushing, grinding, and separating valuable minerals from waste rock (gangue). Copper concentrate t

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Conflict Minerals

    Conflict minerals are minerals whose extraction or trade can finance armed conflict, serious human-rights abuse, or criminal control of mining supply chains.

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Dodd-Frank Section 1502

    Section 1502 of the US Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act (2010) requires US-listed companies to disclose whether their products contain conflict minerals (3TG)

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Dutch Disease

    Dutch Disease is an economic phenomenon where a booming natural resource sector causes currency appreciation and deindustrialisation, making non-resource export

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative)

    The EITI is a global standard for promoting transparency and accountability in the management of oil, gas, and mineral resources. EITI-compliant countries publi

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Force Majeure

    Force majeure is a legal clause in mining contracts that excuses performance obligations when extraordinary events beyond a party's control occur — such as war,

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    JORC Code

    The JORC Code (Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code) is the Australasian standard for reporting mineral exploration results, mineral resources, and ore reserves. I

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Kimberley Process

    The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is an international agreement established in 2003 to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds. Participating cou

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Mining Cadastre

    A mining cadastre is the official register of mining rights, licences, and permits maintained by a country's mining authority. It records the geographic boundar

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Mining Code

    A mining code is the primary legislation governing mineral exploration, extraction, and trade in a country. It defines licensing procedures, royalty rates, envi

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    NI 43-101

    NI 43-101 is the Canadian national instrument governing public disclosure of scientific and technical information about mineral projects. It requires that resou

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Offtake Agreement

    An offtake agreement is a contract between a mine operator and a buyer for the purchase of a specified quantity of mineral production over a defined period, usu

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Resource Nationalism Definition

    Resource nationalism refers to government policies that increase state control over natural resources, typically through higher taxes, royalties, export restric

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Royalty

    A royalty is a payment made by a mining company to the government (or landowner) based on the value or volume of minerals extracted. Royalties are typically cal

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Smelting & Refining

    Smelting is the process of extracting metal from ore using heat and chemical reduction. Refining further purifies the metal to market-grade specifications. Toge

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    SNCC (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer du Congo)

    SNCC is the DRC's national railway company, operating the rail network in the southern and eastern DRC including the critical Katanga mineral railway connecting

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Special Economic Zone (SEZ)

    A Special Economic Zone is a designated geographic area with distinct economic regulations, typically offering tax incentives, simplified customs procedures, an

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    Super Profits Tax

    A super profits tax (or windfall tax) is an additional tax levied on mining companies when commodity prices exceed a specified threshold, capturing a share of e

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    SX-EW (Solvent Extraction-Electrowinning)

    SX-EW is a hydrometallurgical process used to extract copper from oxide ores. Ore is leached with acid, the copper-bearing solution undergoes solvent extraction

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM)?

    Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): Mineral extraction using manual labour and simple tools, typically by individuals or small groups, without industrial equipment or formal employment c

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Benguela Railway?

    Benguela Railway: The 1,344-kilometre railway connecting the Angolan port of Lobito to the DRC border at Luau — the backbone of the Lobito Corridor transport infrastruc

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Community Benefit Agreement (CBA)?

    Community Benefit Agreement (CBA): A legally binding contract between a mining or infrastructure company and an affected community, specifying how the community will benefit from and be

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Copperbelt?

    Copperbelt: The geological region spanning southeastern DRC (Katanga/Haut-Katanga Province) and northern Zambia containing one of the world

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)?

    Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD): EU directive requiring large companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for adverse human rights and environmental impacts across their val

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Critical Minerals?

    Critical Minerals: Minerals essential for economic and national security — particularly for clean energy technologies — where supply chains are concentrated, vulnerable,

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Development Finance Corporation (DFC)?

    Development Finance Corporation (DFC): The US International Development Finance Corporation — America

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Development Finance Institution (DFI)?

    Development Finance Institution (DFI): A government-backed financial institution that provides financing for development projects in emerging markets, typically with social and environmenta

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC)?

    Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC): The DRC state-owned enterprise holding the monopoly on purchasing artisanal cobalt, established in 2019 to formalise the artisanal mining supply chain

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)?

    Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA): A systematic evaluation of the potential environmental and social effects of a proposed project, required before major investments proceed under DFI s

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Equator Principles?

    Equator Principles: A voluntary financial industry framework adopted by 130+ banks for assessing and managing environmental and social risk in project finance, built on I

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)?

    ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance): A framework for evaluating corporate behaviour across environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and governance quality — increasingly central

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)?

    Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): The principle that indigenous peoples and local communities have the right to give or withhold consent for projects affecting their territories, resou

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Gécamines?

    Gécamines: La Générale des Carrières et des Mines — the DRC state mining company that holds joint venture partnerships with most major mining operators in the co

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Global Gateway?

    Global Gateway: The European Union

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Greenfield Development?

    Greenfield Development: Construction of entirely new infrastructure on previously undeveloped land, as opposed to rehabilitation or expansion of existing facilities.

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is IFC Performance Standards?

    IFC Performance Standards: Eight performance standards on environmental and social sustainability established by the International Finance Corporation — the global benchmark for

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR)?

    Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR): The consortium of Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis that holds the 30-year concession to operate and upgrade the Benguela Railway in Angola.

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Lobito Corridor Trade and Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA)?

    Lobito Corridor Trade and Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA): The trilateral institutional framework managing cross-border trade facilitation across Angola, DRC, and Zambia for the Lobito Corridor.

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency)?

    MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency): A World Bank Group member that provides political risk insurance and credit enhancement to investors and lenders for projects in developing countries.

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises?

    OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises: Recommendations from OECD governments to multinational enterprises on responsible business conduct, including human rights, environment, and anti-corr

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI)?

    Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI): The G7 initiative to mobilise $600 billion in infrastructure investment in developing countries by 2027, framed as a values-driven alternative to Chin

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Resettlement Action Plan (RAP)?

    Resettlement Action Plan (RAP): A document prepared when a project will cause involuntary displacement, detailing how affected people will be compensated, relocated, and have their l

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Tailings?

    Tailings: The waste material left after extracting valuable minerals from ore — typically stored in large dams or dry-stacked facilities near mine sites.

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Value Addition?

    Value Addition: The processing of raw materials into higher-value products within the producing country, capturing more economic benefit domestically rather than expo

    Last updated May 19, 2026

    What is Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights?

    Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights: A multi-stakeholder initiative establishing standards for extractive industry companies on maintaining security while respecting human rights at minin

    Last updated May 19, 2026