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In the heart of
Africa, a battle is raging.

The battle
for influence in Africa

between the US and China
is increasingly heating up.

At stake are the
raw materials found here

in Central Africa's Copperbelt.

They are essential for
powering the technology,

energy and transport
revolutions shaping our future.

It's a race in which
we all have a stake,

and so far China is winning.

In the last decade,
China has invested tens

of billions of dollars in
Africa's infrastructure.

The Chinese
government is willing

to invest no less than
70 billion yuan in Africa.

And that's
why today, more than 70%

of the Copperbelt's
riches are going East.

But now
China's grim data indicates

a serious economic slowdown.

As China stalls,
the US is playing catch up.

It's tempting to
accept easy money

from places like China.

There's a better alternative.

We all know it and we can
all achieve it together.

Africa has tremendous
business potential.

I have so many friends

going to your countries
trying to get rich.

The last two administrations
have been working

to build a new western route out

for the Copperbelt's riches

via the Angolan port of Lobito.

So far, the United States

and our partners have
committed over $4 billion

to Lobito Corridor projects.

It's called
the Lobito Corridor.

And this new road, rail
and communications network

is shaping up to be the
biggest US investment

in African history.

The United States is
all in on Africa's future.

But with all eyes
on how the US, China,

and the rest of the
world will benefit,

how do people who live along
the corridor feel about it?

What do they stand to gain?

Those are the questions
I'm determined to answer.

My name's Dwayne Fields,
and I'm a British explorer

and filmmaker used to working

in some of the wildest
corners of the world.

That's saying
"The sky's the limit."

Well, it's not.

I was born in Jamaica
and raised in the UK,

but I recently discovered

my ancestors come from
the Copperbelt region.

And that's why this story
first grabbed my attention.

But the more I learned,
the more I believed

it was a story we should
all know more about.

The camera that's
filming me right now,

the laptop I'm working on,
these headphones,

tablet, laptop for work,
Bluetooth speaker,

they all have need
for raw materials,

which are extracted right
there in the Copperbelt.

So my connection
is a biological one,

but also a lifestyle one,
which I think all of us share.

I think the more we understand

where things like
our food come from,

the more we can
understand our own impact.

And I think the exact same
thing applies for technology.

So I'm going on a 3000-mile
journey across Africa,

from east to west through
four African nations.

I'll be heading into the heart
of the Copperbelt region.

From there, I'll follow
the route of the corridor

all the way to Lobito on
Angola's Atlantic coast.

But my journey starts on
Africa's east coast in Tanzania.

This country of almost 70
million people has been a magnet

for explorers, traders and
empire builders for centuries.

Today, Tanzania's capital is
still a booming trade hub,

and it's the quickest way out
for the Copperbelt's riches

with almost 75% of its copper,

cobalt and other critical
minerals passing through here.

And most of that
is bound for China.

That stranglehold
is a result of decades

of Chinese investment
in Tanzania's roads,

railways and ports.

And it's that stranglehold
the US is hoping to break.

But what do people
living here feel

about being caught
in the middle?

I've come to meet Elsie,
a Tanzanian journalist

who I hope can help me find out.

Elsie, this is probably one
of the best meeting spots

I've ever had with anybody.

- It's gorgeous, isn't it?
- Do you know?

I'm amazed at how
many ships are lined up.

- Yeah.
- 'Cause if you count them,

there's like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

There's a few more
in the corner there.

Wow,
there's just a lot of trade,

because part of it
has to do with the fact

that we are still the port
through which countries

like say, Rwanda, Uganda.
- Yeah, yeah.

Oh, of course, because
they're landlocked countries,

aren't they?
- Yes,

so most of our neighbours,

apart from like Kenya
and Mozambique.

Yeah, yeah.

They don't have the
big ports, but we do.

'Cause I think we're a
gateway into the heart

of the African continent.

Some of these ships
are probably coming in

from China, aren't they?

Bringing stuff, but
also taking things away.

Chinese do a lot for Tanzania,
don't they?

Yeah, they really do.

There's been a
historic relationship

between our two
countries for a long time,

longer than I've been alive.

And there's quite a bit

of Chinese investment
over the years.

Yeah, a lot of
infrastructure and projects.

We have a history of
colonialism with Europe,

so they were quite
literally physically here.

But we also have long
relationships with the East,

with India,
with the Middle East,

with wherever we traded before,
and China.

At the moment,
it feels like there's a rush

from the East, from the West,

and it's culminating in
countries like Angola.

The coal Copperbelt region,
the DRC.

You've got the train
lines being invested

into reach deeper
into the continent.

There's a saying, you know,

when two elephants are clashing,

it's the grass-

- That gets trampled.
- Exactly.

These are, of course,
great powers at play

in our environment,
but the landscape

on which they're playing
this out is inhabited by us.

So what's our input going to be?

And doesn't take
away agency from us.

It shouldn't.

If all goes well,
it means that we're going

to gain fantastic infrastructure
across the continent.

So if we can connect it better,

it doesn't just mean
exporting things.

It means the Africans
along those lines

are also getting
integrated much better.

If it doesn't go well,
then maybe

it's just carving up Africa
all over again for its minerals.

Who controls this part,
who controls that part?

I'm hoping that
this time around,

if we're gonna talk
in conflict terms,

that we're smart
enough to be able

to not get divided
again into pieces

that end up on
someone else's plate.

Like Elsie said, China

and Tanzania go way back.

If you want proof,

look no further than
the TAZARA Railway.

It was conceived in the
1960s as a partnership

between Tanzania and its newly
independent neighbour Zambia.

Zambia's survival depended
on export and its copper,

but apartheid regimes
in Southern Africa

were blocking its trade
routes to the south.

In a gesture of
African solidarity,

Tanzania offered a
new railway to the sea.

To pay for it,
Zambia and Tanzania turned

to the West for support.

Their request was ignored.

So in stepped the new kid on
the block, communist China.

Construction began in 1970,

and by the time it was
completed five years later,

it was China's largest
ever foreign aid project.

And stretching over 1100 miles,

it was Africa's longest railway.

50 years on, the railway
has seen better days.

Due to a serious
lack of investment,

it's been plagued by
closures and delays.

Today, this famous
mining railway carries only

a tiny fraction of
Zambia's copper exports.

The rest goes by road.

I've been told this
train might not make it

all the way to Zambia, but
I'd better jump on just in case.

Look at this.

It's a cabin.

It's basic,
but it's got everything

you need for a 24-hour journey.

China isn't taking America's
challenge lying down.

In response to
the Lobito Corridor,

they've announced a massive
new investment in the TAZARA.

It could certainly do
with a little bit of love.

Luckily, I've always been
comfortable around trains.

One of my first jobs was working
on the London Underground.

So as we wind our way west

through Tanzania's
spectacular countryside,

I can't resist the chance
to visit the man in charge.

Just press.

These were made in China.

- These are Chinese chains.
- Yes.

So does that mean

that Tanzania has a good
relationship with China?

- Yes.
- Oh, okay.

This railway has
been built by China.

I think they are coming
back to renovate.

- Oh really?
- Yes.

- To make it bigger.
- Yes.

Improve it?

They are coming.

My father was
not a train driver.

- Yeah.
- He was a game scout.

- Yes.
- When I grew up,

I liked to be like him.
- Of course.

- But life changes.
- Yes.

Now I'm a train driver.

I have two daughters.

I don't know about them.
- Yes.

But I want for
them to go to school.

Then after that,
they will decide what to do.

The world you
grew up in is different

to the world they're
growing up in.

Yes.

That's development.

Look,
the kids are waving.

They love it, yeah.

- Sometimes they even ask us.
- Yeah.

- How?
- How do I do it?

Yes.

Yeah, Yasin, yeah,
thank you, man.

Today,
the TAZARA is only running at 2%

of the capacity it
was designed for.

But even a rundown
railway is still a lifeline

for those who live alongside.

Do you know what?

That explains why
we're parked here.

I've got a new...
this is called tam.

I went from selling tam
to now I'm gonna buy one.

It's sweet, yeah.

I've been on board
for 30 hours now.

But today, the train has only
managed half its normal route.

We're stopping at Tunduma
on the border with Zambia

In the morning, I'll
be finding another way

to complete my journey
to the Copperbelt.

But now, it's time to find
a bed that doesn't rock.

At sunrise,
I'm finally crossing the border

into Zambia at a
town called Nakonde.

It's one of the
busiest entry points

into this country of more
than 20 million people.

The corridor's architects plan

to build a brand new rail
line here, connecting this town

to Angola's West
Coast 2000 miles away.

It'll be the biggest
greenfield rail expansion

in Africa in 30 years.

But until then, I'm going
to have to rely on the roads.

Luckily, I'm at the start of
Zambia's Great North Road,

which takes me all the
way to the Copperbelt.

But to take on a great road,

I'm going to need
some great wheels.

I'm meeting the rest
of my filmmaking team

who've come up
with a neat solution.

- This is yours.
- That one's mine?

Ah, these are so nice.

- Yeah.
- Am I ready

to drive 3000 kilometres
across Africa in these bad boys?

Yes, I am.

This is where the Lobito
Corridor at the moment starts.

This is where our journey

towards the Lobito
port officially begins.

Wow!

Zambia, famous for
breathtaking natural beauty

and incredible wildlife,
and home

to one of the seven
natural wonders of the world:

Victoria Falls.

But behind the beauty is
Zambia's mining industry,

the backbone of this
country's economy since

well before its independence
from Britain in 1964.

In fact, mining is at the heart

of this country's origin story.

The country we know today
as Zambia was born during

a much earlier scramble
for Africa's resources.

Back in 1885, the squabbling
European empires sat down

in Berlin to divide
Africa between them.

There were no
Africans at the table.

The question of
who would control

the Central African
Copperbelt was hotly contested.

Both Britain and Belgium
put forward a claim,

and after more than two
decades of arguing, in 1911,

a man named Sir Stewart
Gore-Browne was sent

to settle the border
once and for all.

The line he drew still marks
the border between Zambia

and the neighbouring
Democratic Republic of Congo.

After his job was done,
Sir Stewart stayed on in Africa

and built a home that's
still standing, Shiwa Ngandu.

I've come to meet
his descendant, Jo,

who can tell me more
about how the race

for copper birthed the nation.

So this is the beginning
of the boundary commission

and the carving up
of Africa, really.

So, Sir Stewart left England.

He trained as a
surveyor with the army.

And then this is the
boundary commission

with the Belgians putting
in the boundary between

what is now the
Congo and Zambia.

Yes.

So this is how the
boundaries were made.

- Yes, indeed.
- They would climb up a hill

and they'd build it with hay.

- Yes.
- And then they'd set light

to it and read it

from another hill.
- That side.

- Yeah.
- Oh, wow.

Sir Stewart was given the
second Zambian passport.

Kaunda, our first president,
was given the first.

In 1956, Kaunda,
who had been born in the area,

came to him and said,
look, I can't deal

with the African
National Congress.

There's too much
incentive for violence.

We want a quiet
transition to independence.

And so the constitution for
the country was written here

by Sir Stewart and Kaunda.

- When you say here?
- In the house.

It was written in this house?

Yeah.

- Wow.
- Yeah.

Can I just say,
this is better than any museum

I've ever been to.
- It's beautiful, isn't it?

And this is a chief bed.

So put your head, sort of the,
back down a bit, there you go.

Oh, okay.

Oh, actually.
- Fantastic, isn't it?

It feels like it is
ergonomically designed for me.

No, it's designed for me.

And you put your
family treasures in here.

Oh, so it's right
by your head.

It's right by your head, so.

Just lying there.
- I think I've found

my new favourite
part of the house.

If I've got a sore back,
I get on that and I'm done.

- Oh, this is heaven.
- You can sleep there.

Can I? Thank you.

What do you know
about the Lobito Corridor?

This is something that
we've been following.

The whole of the
East Coast of Africa

has got tremendous
wealth because of the ports.

You know, you've got Mombasa,

all the way down,
you've got Dar es Salaam.

The West Coast
has got very little.

- Yes.
- We're quite in touch

with the people who are doing
these rehabilitation projects

to put in roads, to put in
ports, to put in runways.

- Yes.
- And airstrips.

And make sure that there's
people to service them.

That there's gotta be
something for them to do.

Do you
see this new race

for the natural resources as
being possibly the answer or?

Well, I think it's being
driven by the Chinese,

you know, for perhaps
not the right reasons.

The Chinese have made
things like gold and cobalt and,

you know, all of those things
really, really sought after.

And it's a quick buck.

As you drive south now,
you will see

there are a lot of mines
on the side of the road

that are popping up,
and they're just pumping

filthy effluent into the sky.

That there's
accountability here.

You know, good governance

is becoming a
priority in everything.

And I think that's
why Zambia's got

a huge amount of investment.

You know? People are
looking to Zambia.

Looking back at that,

it's almost like
looking back in time.

- Yeah.
- But equally,

there is so much
happening in there

that's created the Zambia
of today, that's helped.

- It's a little buzz.
- It really is.

- Great place.
- Jo, it's been

an absolute pleasure.

And travel safe,
and I hope you enjoy the rest

of the country, which you will.

- I will do.
- Yeah.

I will do.

I'm gonna miss this place.
- The road gets better.

- Let's hope it does.
- Okay.

- See you later.
- Go safe, bye.

After meeting Jo,

I can see how history
is repeating itself.

Today's race for Africa's riches

is just the latest chapter
in a very long story.

A story in which outsiders
have often benefited

at Africa's expense.

But this time round,
just like Jo said,

it could be landlocked Zambia
that has the most to gain.

With the old TAZARA
Railway falling to pieces,

today 90% of
Zambia's copper exports

are forced onto congested
roads like this one,

headed to ports in East
and Southern Africa.

Another petrol station.

One thing I don't
have to worry about

is running out of petrol
anywhere in this region.

The Lobito Corridor could
open up a much faster,

cheaper way out to
hungry Western markets.

A real boost to
mining communities

that have been
struggling in recent years.

To understand
what it's been like

to live through the hard times,
I've come to Kitwe,

a town built on mining.

Look, there's kids
selling slingshots.

I remember these
when I was a kid.

I'm so tempted
to buy one right now.

My guide to Kitwe is Chomba,
a miner turned comedian

who was born here
in the good years.

I lived here late '70s.

Then when my mom got promoted,
we moved to the city,

'cause you know
we're going by grade.

- Yeah.
- So if you're lower grade,

you here, and then when
you get promoted,

you go into another compound.

- Okay.
- Which is

slightly bigger houses.

Go to a house that's
got a toilet inside.

- Yeah.
- And then showers inside.

I would've been lower grade.

'cause where I was
born in Jamaica,

we had a toilet outside.

I can see it's busy.

It's like businesses,
bars, restaurants.

Yeah, after the pruning,
the mines couldn't afford

to employ everyone because
they downsize production.

- Okay.
- So most of them lost jobs.

So now the entrepreneurship
came into light.

Like, now people want
to be entrepreneurs.

Some of them are
still working in the mines.

How far is the mine from here?

You can actually
even see the head there.

Oh, is that what that is?

- Yeah.
- Hello.

You haven’t gone to school?

Isn’t it school today?

No, no, it’s not.

After Chomba left
the mines in 2007,

he became a full-time
comedian and scriptwriter.

It feels like an
unusual career change.

Tell me about that.

How do you pick up
the arts living here, man?

What we had then...

- Yeah.
- Is that

almost every
community had either

a theatre house
or a cinema hall.

They built the cinema, they
built the recreational centres.

They looked after
the entire community.

- The schools.
- Yeah, yeah.

We lost quite a lot
of community spaces.

The football grounds where
we used to play football.

- Yes.
- They were sold off

as plots and churches
were built there.

- Oh, yeah.
- This was just green,

just a field.

On a weekend like this,

there'd be a huge festival of
cultured dancers here.

Okay.

Different from
different tribes.

When it was privatised,

the new owners didn't
really have anything

to do with the community.

So now the community
basically looks after itself.

Oh, I love this, underground.

That's such a London thing.

Pub and grill.

You get the UK
influence wherever you go.

Yeah, yeah, because
we were basically colonised

by the British.

So there's a lot of
influence from them.

Well, I went to a mine school.

I played rugby, I played soccer,
I played volleyball.

I was swimming.

There's a swimming
pool at the school?

Yeah, yeah.

What you described
sounds really modern.

It sounds like you had
everything you could hope for.

And it's all gone now.

All I can see is many people
here who are struggling.

Doesn't it feel like...

maybe things have
gone backwards a bit?

Yeah, yeah.

When I go back in time
and see what we had then

and I look at now,
sometimes I feel like crying.

- Really?
- Because now,

it's like a war zone.

Sometimes I feel a
sense of survivor's guilt,

because I grew up in a
place which was tough.

And because I was lucky enough
to build a life after that,

I feel a bit guilty about
the people who work.

Do you feel that
as well as I do?

Yes, yes, yes.

Especially for the
youngsters now,

because they don't
have the right to play,

because they've
got no space to play.

The mines coming
back in full throttle.

If they're given opportunity

to look after the
communities and so forth,

I think maybe we can get
back to where we were.

There's more demand now.

Do you think
that's a good thing?

Because more demand maybe
means more money, more jobs.

I think the key
word is negotiation.

How do they come in?

Are they just gonna
come and get the copper

or are they gonna
leave something behind?

This is my friend.

So Webby worked
for the mines as well.

For 35 years.

- 35 years?
- Yeah.

I moved from a
smaller house...

- Yes.
- to a bigger one.

And eventually a bigger.

When he
wasn't down the mines,

Webby had a side hustle,
touring with some

of the biggest ambient
rockers of the 1970s.

The good days might have faded,
but the music lives on.

♪ Hotel California ♪

Yeah!

♪ Anytime of year,
you can find us here ♪

Hello,
Hi.

anyone speak English?

You speaking,
where did you learn English?

At school.

You speak it very well,
what's your name?

- Grace.
- Grace?

What do you do in school?

I'm learning.

- You learn to read.
- Yes.

Write?

What are you going to
do when you're older?

Be a pilot.

You're gonna be a pilot?
What?

Can I get a high five for that?

All of you are
gonna be footballers.

Yes!

Who's the best
footballer here?

You're the best,
you're the best.

I wanna see how you play.

This is the team?
Show me.

Okay, oh, he's not dropping it.

This feels like a whole
school full of kids

and we're in a pub garden.

Jamaica versus Zambia.

Oh no,
you can't put the weight

of a nation on my shoulders.

So I'm doing this for all
the Jamaicans and the Brits.

You got a little something,
tell me you caught that.

I'm starting to see
how mining in Zambia

is about more than just jobs.

It's about the communities
those jobs create.

If the Lobito Corridor can
help revive the industry here,

who knows what these
guys could achieve.

With all this
going on right now,

where do you see
the future of Zambia?

Obviously, the linkage
between Zambia and Congo

and Angola never really existed.

- Right.
- And perhaps maybe

the rail track movement,
it will ease the other trade.

Everything comes by road,

because before
everything was going by rail.

- Yes.
- But then rail sort

of started getting abandoned
because maintenance and stuff.

Now if we have a link to the
ocean, we basically have a link

to the outside of the continent,

to the east and to the west.

It makes life easier for us.

These Copperbelt
communities have

clearly seen better days.

But I can feel an energy here

that new investment
could build on.

We are in the heart of
the Copperbelt region.

Lots of industry
over the side there,

you can see all these,
what looks like factories.

And that's exactly what's
happening near Chililabombwe,

close to the border
with the DRC.

I've come to meet the team
at Kobold Metals Africa.

This US-owned company
has the mining world buzzing.

They're harnessing
the power of AI

to transform how
we hunt for copper.

And with support from
billionaire US investors

like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos,

they just might
be onto something.

I'm hoping KoBold Zambian CEO,
Mfikeyi Makayi,

can help me learn the basics.

- Welcome.
- Thanks.

It's all happening here,
isn't it?

Yes, this is our
exploration site.

Kind of, like, 100 years ago,

explorers would look at a
rock on the surface and say,

we think this is copper
sulphide or a copper oxide.

Because we know everything
that's been discovered.

And with the
advent of technology,

we need to drill
deeper to find it.

So what we have here
is an exploration machine,

a drill rig that
drills literally

into the bowels of the earth.

You can see that
it's a hollow rod.

- Yes.
- And we pull

the core out of it.

Are these
from this hole here?

Yep, 1,747 metres.

Basically, one understands
where it is, how it is shaped,

how it is behaving,
how it was formed.

Because how it was formed
also helps us understand

how will we design this
mine to extract it economically.

The drillers are advised,
after we are done

with say this hole,
they're advised

where they're gonna drill next.

Right.

This is gonna be a mine

that will have more
than 300,000 tonnes

of copper in production.

Now we gotta figure out

how to get it out of this
part of Central Africa,

which is why trade
routes become important.

As an explorer,
I have to take interests.

I love that you said
that, you're an explorer,

because I work under the
title of explorer Dwayne Fields.

Yeah.

You're actually doing
day-to-day exploration.

Yeah, and we're
looking at the market.

So for Zambia, I'm a Zambian.

It matters to me what happens

to transform this country's
economic situation

and the region as well.

So we have six drill
rigs here at Mingomba.

- One there.
- One there.

Two, there's a third.

- There's one there.
- Fourth.

And there are two
on the other side here.

Wow,
do you know how big it is?

We are still drilling it.

We haven't found its limits.

Mingomba will be a mine
for more than 40 years.

It will be one of the
largest mines in Africa.

And we have all
our geologists here.

When you design
an underground mine,

you need to know
how the rocks were,

how they were layered, at
what angles they were layered.

And you can see,
what does this say, 30?

It says 30 degrees.

So 30 degrees and then 336.

Where's your north?

You're an explorer.

Sun's coming from that way.

Okay.

North is that way.

- Yeah.
- Roughly.

So your 336 degrees
would've been somewhere-

- Would've been-
- Somewhere here.

- There.
- And this is how

this part of this actual rock-

Would've been
pointing that way-

Would've been pointing

millions of years ago
when it was formed.

And that's critical in
mine development,

mine design and shaft sinking.

- Yeah.
- And when you see

the shiny stuff,
that's the copper mineral.

So, ours is a special
copper mineral,

because it has a high
content of copper metal in it.

So that's quite special.
- Wow!

- And it's the highest grade.
- Am I allowed to hold it?

- 80% in weight.
- Feel the weight?

This is really heavy, yeah.

80%, it runs all the
way through.

The higher the grade,
the better it is to mine,

because you need less
material to get the copper.

- Exactly.
- Less time, less waste.

- Yup.
- Which means less impact

on the environment
around us as well.

So that's what we're aiming for.

- Yeah.
- And less, lower cost

of production.
- A lower cost of production.

The information that
we've just spoken about

is what they're
inputting into the laptops.

- Yeah, yeah.
- To build up your information

that you feed into
your AI software.

- Yes.
- Yeah.

To then build up a picture

of what's happening
on the ground.

The Lobito Corridor is
only just getting going,

but US companies like
Kobold are already betting big

on its potential.

And with a high-tech approach

and led by a homegrown team,
this does feel different

to how things were
done in the past.

Thank you for showing me around.

It's been an absolute pleasure.

Thank you.

I'm back on the road,

heading to the third
country on my journey,

Democratic Republic of Congo.

This country is vast, about the
same size as Western Europe.

It's also home to the lion's
share of the Copperbelt

concentrated in the region
historically known as Katanga.

Alongside Zambia and Angola,
the DRC has been pushing hard

for the Lobito Corridor.

Approaching the border,
you can see why. Like Zambia,

the DRC relies on
these gridlocked roads

to get its copper
out to the world.

Kasumbalesa is one of
the busiest border crossings

in Africa.

Billions of dollars of copper
pass through here every year...

very slowly,

The queues
stretch back five miles

on each side.

Some trucks wait
10 days to cross.

Luckily, our cars can
squeeze through much faster.

Now I'm officially in
Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bonjour, DRC.

- Look carefully.
- Man, hide your phone,

there is...

The atmosphere here is tense.

He's looking, he's looking.

The DRC's share
of the Copperbelt

is 2000 miles away
from the capital.

And because of
its mineral wealth,

it's always been a flashpoint.

Just days after Congo
gained independence

from Belgium in 1960,
armed separatists backed

by Belgian mining
interests tried to break away.

The uprising failed.

But even today,
this region is closely guarded

by the central government with
checkpoints every few miles.

We are on route
to go and find out

what the difference Lobito
Corridor's gonna make

to this part of Africa.

And if the people on the ground

are ever gonna feel
any of the benefits of it.

This railway tells me
we arrived on track.

As we reach the city of Kolwezi,

I'm finally at the
heart of this story.

The Lobito Corridor,
at its simplest,

is about taking the critical
minerals being mined here

and delivering them more quickly

to the devices on
which we all depend.

We're just outside of
a town called Kolwezi.

And me and my team
are the first camera crew

to ever be granted
access to this mine.

It's the third largest
copper mine in the world.

You might not know it,

but copper is everywhere
in our modern lives.

One smartphone
contains 15 grammes,

one laptop, about 1500.

One wind turbine,
almost five tonnes.

And this country in the
heart of Africa could soon be

the biggest exporter
of copper globally.

Now I want to see how
it gets out of the ground

and into our pockets.

I've come to meet the team at
the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine.

It's one of the fastest
growing in the world.

Hello, Dwayne, bonjour.

- Bonjour.
- Morning.

- My name is Pontien.
- Pontien?

- It's good to meet you.
- Awesome.

A shirt for you,
self rescuer, a red hat.

- And this is what?
- And safety shoes.

You are ready to go.

Wow,
this is a big operation.

So every time I turn a corner,

there's something else
that's bigger than the corner

that I came to before.

Wow.
- 60-ton Sandvik truck.

Tyres
are taller than me.

Oh this is a big operation.

How far underground
are we going?

We'll
go 1.3 kilometres.

And we'll reach 200 metres, vertical.

But we go to the face
where the action happens.

Wow, I can't say
it's not a little bit daunting,

because it looks
almost pitch black.

My goodness.

It's not like a round tunnel,
is it?

The shape
was chosen to get a stability

of this infrastructure
for more than 50 years.

And we're
only five years into it.

How many people
work underground?

800 to 1000.

Per shift,
800 to 1000 people.

97% from Congo.

Mining job is
one of the top jobs.

- Really?
- In DRC, yeah.

This space is very good.

There is a tunnel down here.

I can see people
working down to the right.

Yeah.

This is the crew doing
mining activities here.

This is so cool.

Whoa!
- This is a new face.

- Yes.
- We're gonna drill holes

on each corner.

- On that grid?
- On that grid.

So what's happening now?

So now he just drill the hole.

We've got a four-meter hole.

Yes, where-

We're
gonna drill all corners

as shown on the grids.

- Yes.
- And then

he's gonna drill
the green points.

To put explosive here,
you need a breakthrough point.

So that breaking
point is the green point.

And then the rest
will come out easily.

How many times do
you blast in one day?

In one day, we blast one.

- Once a day.
- Yes, we'll blast

at the end of the shift.

Okay, so.

Time to move on before
the explosives come out.

This
is blasted material.

So all of
this has been blown out?

- Yes.
- And it's ready to go up

to the surface?
- Ready to go up

to the surface.

And how
many of these ones

do we have working in the mines?

We work with 58.

- At any given time?
- Yeah, any given time.

That's
one for every new face.

New, exactly.

So we are approaching
the tipping point.

The process of
reducing size start here.

So 20 metres below us,

there is a discharge
point on the belt.

- Wow!
- Let's go down.

So it falls into here?

Every five minutes,
there is a crop on top.

That's more
regular than buses in London.

Yeah, the future
life of this material,

it will be in
electrical batteries,

it will be in copper wire.

It will be in our cell phone.

And this will
be in a far away place.

China, America, Europe,
Africa, who knows?

Let's follow the copper out.

Can we jump on
that one and ride it up?

No, no, no, unsafe.
- Unsafe.

I will not allow that.

Once the copper
is blown out and crushed,

it's brought to the surface
to be refined further.

If you thought the operation
underground was big,

take a look at this.

Here's Mr. Dodo, Dodo is the-

- Hi.
- Thank you for having us.

Nice to meet you.

I'm in charge of all
the concentrators.

Those are the heart of Kamoa.

Everything coming
from the mining,

and it gets reduced
to powder like talc.

- Like talcum powder?
- Yes.

And from here we
add some chemicals.

So most of the copper-
- Oh, my goodness,

yeah, I can see underneath us.

So we're over a
big tank right now?

Yes, on all of those tanks,
it's copper floating

on the top, by adding oil

and some alcohol.
- Alcohol.

And how much are you
producing every day?

- 1,400 tonnes of copper.
- 1,400 tonnes.

Tonne
of copper a day.

And on a monthly basis,
50,000 tonne of copper.

50,000 tonnes
of copper in a month?

Every tonne mined here goes on
to shape the world we live in.

From the smallest
smartphone chip

to the electric car
taking you to work.

This is
the final product.

Now it contains 50% copper

and it's the final product
ready to be shipped.

So now it's
gonna go on the back

of one of these trucks.

Yes, that can
take 18 barrels,

which is 36 tonnes.

$180,000 of copper

on this truck.
- Exactly.

Don't mention the price because-

I'm gonna stop doing that.

You'll get ambushes out front.

Standing here surrounded by
thousands of tonnes of copper,

it's not surprising to learn

the team here are big supporters
of the Lobito Corridor.

Currently, trucks,
they're going to Dar es Salaam,

they're going to Durban, which
is 3000 kilometres from here.

So we'll put the railway
coming to the plant.

You plan to put a
railway coming to the plant?

We plan to do that.

How many trucks will one
train remove off the road?

On a daily basis, we send
out something like 100 trucks.

So 100 will be in one train.

But when you
send out 100 trucks,

that means 100 trucks
have to come back.

So it's 200 journeys.
- Exactly.

The operating cost
will drastically drop,

because most of our cost
comes from transportation.

So this bag,
half of it is gonna be wasted

or burnt off during
the smelting process?

During the smelting process.

Yes, that's correct.

So most of the smelters,
they are out of the country.

Now, we are in the process

to put in the number two
biggest smelter in the world,

which you'll see soon.

It's almost completed,

which will process
99.97% pure copper.

- That's almost pure.
- Pure copper.

That's ready for any industry.

Any cables and all
of the components.

- Medical purposes, anything.
- Medical, everything.

So it's amazing to
see from the rock face

to now this powder
to it leaving to go

and become a TV
or a circuit board.

Exactly, cable or...

The team here is already
betting big on the corridor.

They've started building their
own colossal copper smelter,

which can process half
a million tonnes a year.

Oh, wow!

You really can see
everything from up here.

That will be
the heart of the smelter.

That way they will put copper.

Its more than 2000 degrees.

This is mind-blowing.

If you wanna form a well-rounded
opinion on something,

- Yeah.
- I think the best way

to go about doing that is
to get a proper overview

of the whole process
from start to finish.

- Exactly, yeah.
- Because demand is so high,

all of this is necessary.

And demand is so high
because we need to shift

to a more sustainable economy.

- More sustainable economy.
- It's almost a necessary evil

now to safeguard the future.

Yeah.

Pontien,
I can stay up here all day

and just watch the work go on.

Should we have a
look at what's up there?

After spending the day
inside this cutting-edge mine,

there's no denying that copper

is still a big, dirty industry.

But I can also see how mines
like this are enormous engines

that can lift people
out of poverty.

And our demand for
what they're producing

is only going in
one direction...

up.

Every single nation
that's ever focused

on developing its infrastructure
has advanced the GDP

of the population
to some degree.

Now, I'm not saying it's gonna
make every individual rich,

but it's gonna encourage
more investment,

which increases prosperity,
which then increase education,

which further
increases prosperity.

The Lobito Corridor has
the makings of something

that's gonna be
good for the people

that live within its
catchment area.

Earlier this morning,
we were 200 metres underground

looking at the rock face.

And now I'm 90 metres
up on top of the chimney

for the smelter
that's gonna turn

this raw material into
the copper as we know it.

We've travelled more than
half the way across Africa,

but we've still got to
keep heading west,

following the route that
this copper is gonna take.

I am continuing my journey
west towards Angola.

If you want to send copper
from here to Lobito today,

this road is your best option.

I can see why Zambia and
the DRC are pushing so hard

for a railway.

Oh, my God, did you see that?

The roads here are some
of the worst I've ever seen.

Jesus Christ.
- Big holes ahead.

But the potholes

and the dust aren't
my only problems.

I'm entering some of
the most hostile territory

on my journey.

Be careful,
there is a huge hole

in between the two trucks, guys.

And don't stop too long

because those guys
don't look so nice.

I've been
warned that rebels

and bandits regularly
target trucks on this road.

Big lorry ahead,

meant to be some
kind of checkpoint.

Try and catch up
with us if you can.

Bogus checkpoint,
just drive straight through.

We need to
get to a safe stopping point

before dark.

But hundreds of punishing miles

have finally taken their toll.

There is water
leaking from our car.

Look, there's no water
in there at all, bone dry.

It will run,
but we need a mechanic.

So we're gonna try and
top it up to keep it cool

and just take it easy as we go.

We still gonna have 100

or so kilometres of
road like this to do.

Let's set up the camera.

Can you see all
these flies around me?

It's amazing.

A bit thirsty,
that's how dry it is out here.

The flies,
as soon as you come out,

they sense the moisture.

They're all over you.

We're gonna take it easy
to see how far we get.

We'll have to stop periodically.

You can see how
quickly the light's fading.

Oh goodness.

The potholes here on epic.

Oh, that's the fixer's car gone.

This road is
killing all our cars.

We're not gonna
do 100 km for 35 minutes.

Driving through the
night on a road like this,

you can't see the hazards.

It's dusty,
there aren't any street lamps.

But it's not just bad roads
we need to worry about.

This region has been
plagued by internal conflict

ever since independence,
driven by its mineral wealth.

In the '70s, this whole
area was a battlefield.

Everyone moved out,
no one really came back.

So now it's occupied
mainly by rebels.

And as the light fades and
I'm looking down the road,

every single vehicle that comes,

I start thinking,
could this be an ambush?

Did you pass the
guys with a 4x4?

Yes we did.

Are they still fixing it?

They seemed to be finishing up.

This place... because
there are a lot of

bandits... they kill
people in strange ways.

So it's better to go
back to the last town?

He said that, no,
this is a bad area.

There are armed guys
who kill people, bandits.

And it's better to
don't walk at night.

This is enough as information.

Is there a car
mechanic in Mutshasha?

The young boys
came at the right time

and told us that people have
died on this road recently.

It's times like this you realise

you're really not at home.

We've got some officers coming.

Ah, they've got a camera there.

Oh no, no filming.

Oh, I'm sorry, Désolé.

We've just been moved on from

where we think we could
have got the car fixed

by two really angry officers.

One with the AK-47

and a second one who
was probably even more angry.

So we're grateful he
didn't have a weapon.

We're going to another location

where we think there might
be a mechanic that will help us.

What was that?

Someone's coming.

Waiting for the village
mechanic to come by.

He started working
on the car last night

and it got dark, got late.

I think it was a bit more
work than he planned for,

and he promised he'd be here.

Initially, it was 6:30.

Goat just kicked me in my balls.

It's now going on eight o'clock.

It's our mechanic, Papa John.

- Ca va.
- Luckily, these cars

are designed to be fixed
in the middle of nowhere.

This hose here, this one
needs to come out as well

because that goes into the...

Even with my terrible French,
I've worked out

that this man, Mehdi,
he's a locomotive driver.

Today's his day off and
he's come out to help us.

Where do you drive it?

I go from Kolwezi to Dilolo.

You don’t go to Angola?

I also go to Angola.

Luau.

Have you ever gone
as far as Lobito?

As far as Luau.

And what happens at
Luau? Is there another train?

Yes, there's a train
in Angola that picks up

the goods in Luau and
takes them to Lobito.

There are two a week.

Only two trains?

For now,
the train Mehdi drives only goes

as far as the Angolan border.

But one day soon, the
Lobito Corridor should connect

this region directly to the sea.

Ah, yes.

Hopefully, that will keep
Mehdi so busy,

he won't have to
moonlight as a mechanic.

There's no leaking.

Hands free.

Thank you.

Engine sounds fine.

These guys did an awesome job,
let's go.

Thanks to Papa John, our
car is running as good as new.

It's a relief to be
back on the road.

You have more
bad road coming ahead.

If you can call it a road.

We're making our way
slowly to the Angolan border.

We have just
crossed into Angola.

We left Congo where
we went from one room

to the next to the next,
speaking with one official

to another and
then onto another.

And it just seemed
to be a lifetime

of conversations with
very little progress.

And we are now
officially in Angola.

I've reached the final stage
of my Trans-African journey.

Angola has been
the driving force

behind the Lobito Corridor,

working with successive
US administrations

to make this dream a reality.

The corridor could be
a much needed boost

for Angola's economy,
but it could also help close

a dark chapter in its history.

For 400 years,

the Portuguese controlled
this corner of Africa.

It became a keystone in
the transatlantic slave trade.

But when the
colonisers left in 1975,

Angola was torn apart
by a brutal civil war.

It quickly became
a proxy cold war.

The US backed one side,
the Soviets the other.

The conflict lasted 27 years,

claiming almost a million lives.

The scars are
still visible today,

but the invisible
scars are the worst.

What does 'desminagem' mean?

Demining.

Almost 15 million mines
were laid during the war.

And even though
it ended in 2002,

thousands of Angolans
across the country

have been killed or
injured since then.

Our fixer has warned us not
to stray more than a few metres

from the road.

To understand the
scale of the issue

and what can be done about it,

I've come to meet the
team from the HALO Trust,

a leading demining charity
who've been working here

for the last 30 years.

Here in BA Province,
they're making it their mission

to clear a safe path
for the Lobito Corridor.

Sorry we're late.

It's been a long, long journey.

Tonight, we're bedding
down in the HALO camp.

At first light, I'll get to
see these heroes in action.

The next morning after
an extra strong coffee,

it's time to meet the team.

It’s good!

Thank you.

What made you
want to work for the HALO Trust?

For the passion

to free our country.

To
free our country.

And
do you live locally?

- No, no.
- No.

- Benguela.
- So you leave your family?

How long did they spend here?
Yes, yes.

- Two months.
- Two months.

And then go back.

They go back
and for maybe two weeks

they come back.

Yeah, yeah.

That's a big sacrifice.

What was the training like?

The training’s fine.

It's a little scary.

But the first time...

it was scary because we realise
the damage a mine could cause.

At first you feel that fear.

And later on, we get along and

we'll be able to
get things done.

Yeah, yeah.

Thank you, thank you
for speaking to me.

On our way to the front line,

it doesn't take long to
grasp what's at stake here.

Look down here.

So, down here,
we can see the children playing.

What impacts do the mines
have on these children?

I’ve heard of deaths,
amputated limbs.

This place is safe now.

Where's the dangerous part?

The dangerous part
starts after the school.

Body armors,
got some Kevlar in it

to stop any projectiles.

If there is an explosion,

it should protect
the vital organs.

Ready?
- Yeah, it's ready.

In 30 years,
the HALO team has cleared

100 million square
metres of land,

uncovering thousands
of landmines.

Only once these areas
are declared mine-free

can people finally escape
the long shadow of war.

So this lane is all
done by full excavation.

You can see basically where
the ground has been turned over

and anything beyond
this point is uncleared.

And you see just over there.

Oh, my goodness.

What is that,
a rocket or some...?

It's more
likely a missile.

So that's
just landed there.

It hasn't detonated,
it hasn't blown up.

No, so these types
of UXOs, 30% won't detonate.

The failure rate is that bad.

3 out of every 10 won't blow up.

We've just passed 30, 40 kids.

- Yeah.
- Just walking up here.

Yeah, two nights ago
when we were brought an item

in the camp,
it was because an older person

had seen kids
playing with a warhead.

They were trying to hit it to
get whatever it was inside.

- What was inside.
- This 30% kills more

than the 70% that goes off.

I can't imagine at home

my kids bringing me a
warhead or going out back

and you know,
a plane with a rocket.

And I'm stood here and
I'm just looking at one

that looks like it was
dropped there yesterday.

Yeah, and we'll
get cattle walking

through the minefields.

Yeah, I can see the evidence.

I mean, look here,
there's another RPG shell.

There's one and it looks intact.

Yeah, mortar.

- Have you seen that?
- Yeah.

That would have
explosives in it.

They are
literally just scattered.

Here, there's an old
FAPLA government troops base.

- Yes.
- It was then taken over,

invaded by UNITA who
then left it and mined the area

to prevent anyone
coming back in.

Booby trapping it.

So I can get a
taste of what it's like

to work with the HALO team,

I'm visiting a training patch

where all the explosives
have already been cleared.

Even though I know this
patch is completely safe,

it's still a nail-biting
experience.

And what material is this?

- Cordura.
- Cordura.

Yeah, it's tough.

So that'll save you
losing any fingers

if the mine were to go off.

Okay, and I can just
kneel down here.

From bottom top.

- Bottom to top?
- Yeah.

- Oh, from here?
- Yeah.

- How much do I go?
- Little.

Slowly, slowly.

- I'm working.
- From one side

to another one,
from the bottom to top.

I'm not sure if I'm
doing this properly,

but I'm telling you one thing,
my nerves.

Were you nervous the first
time you did this as well?

You're clearly bolder than I am.

After having training,
you’re not scared anymore.

You are a very brave man, sir.

He's the paramedic.

He's the paramedic as well.

Yeah, he's a
demining paramedic.

Ah, wow.

Thank you so much.

As my time with the HALO
team comes to a close,

I'm humbled by the
bravery they bring

to this job day in, day out.

They've left me with an
awful lot to think about.

Thank you for having us.

Sorry we showed
up so late last night

and ruined all your sleep.

I didn't have anything prepared,

but I wanna say a few
words if that's alright?

I've been really fortunate
that I've got to come here

to meet you guys and
see the work that you do.

When we use the word
hero in the UK where I live,

we're quite frivolous with it.

We throw it out there,

we use it for a lot
of different things.

But the truth is,
I think people like you

or people who do what
you guys do are the heroes.

Because you go out there
and you are actively changing

the outcome for lots
and lots of people.

Every mine that you
remove and every mine

that you detonate in the field
is saving and changing lives.

So thank you, 'cause you're
all actual real-life heroes.

Thank you, thank you.

Before we leave,
Seb has one more sight

he wants to show me.

You can
imagine this being one

of the biggest tourist
attractions in any country.

- No, of course.
- And here it's silent.

Why is it so quiet?

Just no one makes it out here.

The roads are
too bad from Cuito.

And that's due
to also the threat

of the mines on the roadsides.

- Yeah.
- It's preventing development.

Tourists aren't making
it out here because-

The risks,
the risks are great.

The risks.

Our work is
reinstalling that faith.

Yeah.

We started in 1994

and we're coming into
that twilight period now,

and it feels great
to see it through.

What do you think the
Lobito Corridor means

for people who live in the
places that you operate?

I think it's
massive in the fact

that it means the free
movement of people.

They can visit families,
they can sell their goods.

We've got the most
fertile land here in Bié.

- Yeah.
- You put a seed down

and it'll grow.

There's the best
honey in the country.

- Yeah.
- In Munhango.

And that just stays there.

There's no transport.

It can't make its
way to the big cities.

And build a road here,

we'll see some huge development.

Yeah.

I'm leaving HALO with
a better understanding

of what good
infrastructure can really do

and a deeper appreciation
for those dedicating their lives

to making it possible.

Thanks to HALO,
the final leg of my journey

to Lobito is going to be
much easier and safer.

As the finish line of my
adventure approaches,

I'd like to end the same way
I began, back on the rails.

At the heart of the Lobito
Corridor project is a plan

to revive a crown jewel
of African infrastructure,

the Benguela railway.

The Americans weren't
the first to figure out

that a rail link
connecting the Copperbelt

to the port of Lobito
was a smart move.

The Portuguese thought
the same thing back in 1903

when they ruled
Angola as a colony.

By 1929, the Benguela railway
stretched almost 1200 miles

all the way to Southern Congo.

But during the
carnage of the civil war,

1200 miles became just 20.

At war's end,
Angola first turned to China

to help rebuild parts
of this famous old line.

But with China's
influence fading

and so much more
railway to build,

in 2023, Angola signed
a new partnership

with the DRC, Zambia,
the US and the EU.

The Lobito Corridor was born

and the old Benguela
railway is coming back.

After driving more
than 2000 miles

on some of the
toughest roads in Africa,

the team at the newly
named Lobito Atlantic Railway

have laid on a special
engine just for me.

My new train, Rob.

Ah... can we get straight on?

As much as I love those cars,
this is a much nicer form

of transportation, especially
at this stage of the journey.

Just smooth sailing.

Straight from A to B.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Blow it again.

Since leaving Dar es
Salaam almost a month ago,

I feel like I've been
following an idea.

Now it feels real.

The Lobito Corridor could
be just the lift Angolans need.

After decades of war,

almost a third still
live in extreme poverty,

surviving on less than $2 a day.

Who knows what opportunities
a fully functioning railway

could bring to the people
who live alongside it.

And the railway
is just the start.

The US and its partners
plan to invest billions

of dollars in clean energy,
food security

and digital
infrastructure projects

that will run right alongside.

Can smell the salt in the air.

The last stop in our journey

after a month on the road,
4,000 kilometres,

we're finally here at Lobito.

That might as well say,
Dwayne, you've arrived.

I can see cranes for the port.

That's where I meet
the ambassador.

I think I'm gonna
change my shirt.

My journey along the
corridor has left me

with so many questions.

So I'm headed to the
newly refurbished Lobito port

to put them directly to someone
who should have the answers.

Tulinabo Mushingi, the outgoing
US ambassador to Angola.

- Dwayne.
- Mr. Ambassador.

- Good afternoon.
- How are you?

Good to see you.

Welcome to Lobito.

Thank you so much.

This is why I
came all the way...

- All the way...
- From the east coast

to here.
- Yeah, this is it.

This is
the end of the train line.

Exactly.

This is where
it's loaded or unloaded.

Yeah, indeed,
we are impressed.

And
everything that's extracted

along the corridor,
along the Copperbelt,

will come here and head west.

Will head west

to markets,
- Whether To Europe

or to markets in the US.

To the US, yeah.

All these people are learning
how to do these things,

operating all these machines.

I get excited
when I talk about

the Lobito Corridor.

It's the beginning of a
big project here, yeah.

It's hot,
let get out the sun.

- Yeah.
- And let me get you

a drink, come on.
- Okay.

Thank you very much, yeah.

Ambassador Mushingi isn't
your average US ambassador.

He was actually
born in the Congo

back when it was
still a Belgian colony.

Now an American citizen,

he's representing his new home

on the continent in
which he was born.

To me that makes his perspective
even more interesting.

It feels like something's
bubbling underneath the surface

that's waiting to mushroom.

The potential here is great.

And my job is to position
the USA as the go-to partner.

You mentioned
investment from China.

How does that differ
from the investment

that's coming from the US?

I am here to
promote the US model.

The minimum
characteristics should include

at least transfer of technology.

- Yes.
- Trying to share the knowhow

with the Angolans
we're working with

so that they can
do it themselves.

They know that
if I invest in this,

it's good for the USA as well.

- Yes.
- So we are both winning

even if I'm giving
you the grant.

Inject in what we do the
transparency so that you,

Angola and I, the US,
we know what is in it

for each one of us.

And what is in it for the US?

What is in it for us?

What we all learned
during COVID is that

if the supply chain
is broken somewhere

around the world,
all of us suffer.

- Yes.
- All of us.

Imagine connecting
the two oceans,

that's keeping that
supply chain open

for the benefit
of the whole world

and Angola and Congo and Zambia.

- And the US... yes.
- And the US.

Yeah. And also we need
to diversify these places

where you can
process these materials.

And at the moment,
that's mostly-

At the moment,
it looks like China.

- The East, China.
- Yeah, the East, yeah.

And we are hopeful that
if they're going this way

either to Europe or to America,

that the processing
plants in those areas,

who have access
now to raw material

that they didn't have before,
can up their game as well.

And I've met
people who sell things

at the side of the train tracks.

They have no idea
they will benefit

and when will
they benefit from it.

As soon as they start
taking the train and it works.

- Yes.
- And it doesn't cost much

to get from Luau to Lobito,

- Yes.
- they will say,

oh maybe this is the
Lobito Corridor we're talking.

- Yes.
- As soon as their mother

can come and sell
something quickly,

as soon as health wagons stop

and people can
come and see a doctor,

- Yes.
- that's when

they will start to see.

And do you think
the next administration

is gonna see the Lobito
Project as a priority?

If anything, any initiative
that a US government takes

benefits the American people,
benefits the Angolan people,

benefits the world, chances,
there are chances that

that initiative can
survive administrations.

Let's hope it does,
'cause there's a lot of hope.

And on that note,
thank you so much.

Thank you, sir,
thank you very much.

A month ago,
I set out from Dar es Salaam

to investigate a new
battle taking place

for Africa's natural resources.

Along the way,
I've witnessed an enormous

and complex supply chain
that underpins our lives,

but one we so rarely get to see.

It's been hard to ignore the
echoes of an age-old story,

one of outsiders competing

to exploit this continent's
enormous wealth.

It's clear the US and
its partners will benefit

from faster, safer
access to critical minerals.

But perhaps this new scramble

might be one Africans
can gain from too.

I've met people
here working hard

to make this story their own.

And I've met many
more who are excited

about the opportunities to come.

A month ago,
I remember talking to Elsie

and we were talking about
hope and what she wanted

for the future of her country,
Tanzania.

And the entire journey,
I think I've seen the same thing

from everyone I've met.

They've all wanted their country
to be better, to do better.

And I think they all see trade

as a means to
making that happen.

I don't think any of them know

for sure whether they
believe in the Lobito Corridor

or not, I don't think
that matters.

I think they're all hoping it
works, one, for their nations,

but two, because
they wanna believe

and they wanna
hope that their families

and their next generation is
gonna be better than the last.

When you see people doing that,
you can't help

but want more for them.

They deserve a break

and maybe the Lobito
Corridor is that break.

I think to be able to come back

and see how things have changed

after 7, 8, 9, 10 years,

once the Lobito
project is in full swing,

I think that would be awesome.

Africa on the whole
is probably one

of the most unique
continents in the world.

It's got people who
have extreme wealth.

Just look behind me.

It's got people who
have next to nothing.

But the one thing it
has by the truckload

is natural resources and hope.

And I think when you
combine those two, the future's,

it's open, it's bright.