The mining sector in the province of Huambo, specifically the exploration of rare earths in the municipality of Longojo, might be one of the main beneficiaries with the implementation of the Caála Logistics Platform
The opportunity opens up for the export of ore to the United Kingdom in containers, via the Port of Lobito, and the import of chemical products for this sector in the province. There is also potential for new marble and granite installations with the opening of new mines in the central area of the country. Another sector that might benefit from the implementation of the Caála Logistics Platform, according to the Government, is agriculture, as this logistics infrastructure is designed to be a centralized distribution center in Huambo.
One of the provinces with the highest agricultural production in the country, mainly cereals, legumes and oilseeds and horticultural products, Huambo may be relieved in the flow of its products to other regions of the country. It will also play an important role in fruit exports and in the development of the future avocado cluster that is being created in the region in collaboration with Dutch importers. The first stone was laid this Saturday, 9th, by the Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, the Caála Logistics Platform is scheduled to start operations in early 2025.
In the first year of operation, it should receive between 250 thousand and 300 thousand tons of goods, a volume that, in ten years, might reach close to 500 thousand tons. The infrastructure is located between National Roads EN120 and EN260 and is strategically located along the rehabilitated Lobito Corridor. A railway terminal built from scratch will serve as an intermodal platform for the region and will have the capacity to serve trains with up to 50 wagons.
Raw materials for industry will pass through the Caala Platform, originating in Luanda and the Port of Lobito, and destined for the east of the country (Luena) and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These goods include fertilizers, cement or agro-processing inputs (packaging materials, among others). This infrastructure is part of a set of six strategic infrastructures included in the first phase of implementation of the National Network of Logistics Platforms, which foresees the installation of 21 similar logistics points across the country by 2038.
