UsedHowoTrucks.com — April 25, 2026
Table of Contents
Breaking: $1.32 Billion Committed on April 24, 2026
On April 24, 2026, at the Africa We Build Summit in Nairobi, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the African Development Bank each committed $500 million toward the construction of a new 830-kilometre railway linking Zambia's copper mines to the Angolan port of Lobito. Italy separately confirmed a $320 million contribution, bringing the total funding announced in a single day to $1.32 billion (Source: Reuters / Mining.com, April 24, 2026).
AFC Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer Sameh Shenouda confirmed at the conference that nine engineering, procurement and construction contractors visited the Zambia project site two weeks earlier. Those companies will submit bids by end of May. An EPC contractor will be selected by July or August 2026, with groundbreaking targeted before year-end or by January 2027 at the latest. The full 830-kilometre line has an estimated total cost of up to $5 billion and is scheduled for completion in 2030.
For fleet owners, construction contractors, and logistics operators active in Zambia's Northwestern Province and Copperbelt, the April 24 announcement is the clearest signal yet that major infrastructure spending is imminent. Demand for used HOWO 6x4 371HP dump trucks for mining projects in Africa will intensify sharply as site preparation and track-laying begin across the 515-kilometre corridor.
The Zambia-Lobito Railway: What Is Being Built
The Zambia-Lobito railway is the Zambian spur of the broader Lobito Corridor — the most strategically significant new freight infrastructure project in Central and Southern Africa. The corridor links copper and cobalt mines in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Angola's Lobito port on the Atlantic seaboard via the existing 1,300-kilometre Benguela line in Angola, which has been rehabilitated under a separate contract.
The Zambian component involves constructing 515 kilometres of entirely new rail lines from scratch through Northwestern Province and into the Copperbelt. A further 315 kilometres of new track is planned in the DRC. This would be the largest new railway built in Zambia since the 1970s, when China financed and constructed the TAZARA line running east to Dar es Salaam.
The US and European Union have positioned the Lobito Corridor as a flagship initiative for securing access to critical minerals — copper and cobalt, in particular — that are essential for electric vehicle batteries and defence and aerospace industries. AFC CEO Samaila Zubairu has stated the project requires annual cargo commitments of 2.5 to 3 million tonnes to be viable. AFC already has signed agreements for 1 million tonnes, with visibility to reach 5 million tonnes as Zambia's copper production scales toward its national target.
Construction Timeline and Contractor Bids
The project is progressing through a structured procurement process. Nine international EPC contractors conducted site visits in Zambia during the second week of April 2026. Bids are due by the end of May. Contractor evaluation will run through the northern summer, with selection by July or August. Financial close is targeted for Q4 2027. Once financing is secured, construction will start immediately, aiming for completion in 2030.
The environmental and social impact assessment for the Zambia leg was published by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency on April 3, 2026, confirming the $5 billion cost estimate and the 2030 completion target. This publication represents a formal regulatory milestone and clears the way for the next phase of procurement.
During the pre-construction and early civil works phases — including camp establishment, access road construction, earthworks, drainage, and bridge foundation work — road-based heavy transport will handle all movement of materials, fuel, equipment, and aggregates across the 515-kilometre alignment. Concrete delivery for bridge foundations and culverts makes used HOWO 8x4 concrete mixer trucks 371HP for construction projects an essential configuration from the earliest stages of civil works.
Zambia's Copperbelt: The Haulage Context
Zambia is one of the world's top ten copper producers. National output reached 820,676 tonnes in 2024 — a 12% increase year on year — and is on track to breach one million tonnes by the end of 2025. The government's long-term target is three million tonnes per year, a figure that underpins the entire commercial logic of the Lobito rail corridor.
The mining hubs of Kitwe, Chingola, Solwezi, and Ndola anchor Zambia's Northwestern Province and Copperbelt Province, which together account for the overwhelming majority of the country's copper output. Major operators active in the region include First Quantum Minerals at Kansanshi and Sentinel, Glencore at Mopani, ZCCM-IH in joint ventures across multiple sites, and KoBold Metals, which is developing a significant new copper deposit and has signed an MOU with AFC committing freight to the Lobito Corridor.
Until the railway is operational, all ore, concentrate, and supply movement in this region travels by road. A single mine site can require dozens of heavy trucks running daily routes between pit, processing plant, storage, and port access roads. The HOWO platform dominates the working fleet across Zambia's mining corridors due to its affordable acquisition cost, proven engine reliability, and well-established parts network in Lusaka, Kitwe, and Ndola. Fleet operators can review current inventory on our dedicated page for second-hand HOWO trucks for sale in Zambia for Copperbelt mining haulage.
Qingdao Alston Motors Co., Ltd supplies verified used HOWO trucks with full MOFCOM-compliant export documentation to buyers in Zambia and across Southern Africa, with configuration options matched to Zambian mining road standards and the heavy-duty requirements of Copperbelt haul routes.
Why This Drives Used HOWO Truck Demand
Large-scale railway construction of this type generates truck demand across three distinct phases, each with different equipment profiles.
During site access and camp establishment — which begins as soon as the EPC contractor is awarded — tipper fleets are needed to build access roads, clear and grade the rail alignment, and deliver construction materials to camp locations across the 515-kilometre corridor. This phase is already being prepared: nine contractors walked the Zambia site in April 2026. Operators assembling equipment now should review available second-hand HOWO tipper trucks with low mileage for road construction to secure units ahead of the site mobilisation window.
During active track-laying and civil works — the primary construction phase running from late 2026 through 2030 — demand shifts toward high-volume aggregate haulage, concrete delivery for bridges and culverts, and fuel supply to remote plant and machinery. Diesel logistics to camps hundreds of kilometres from the nearest town make used HOWO fuel tanker trucks 20,000 litre for remote construction sites an essential fleet category from day one of operations.
During concurrent mining expansion — running in parallel with railway construction as Zambia's copper operators scale toward the 3-million-tonne national target — road haulage of copper ore and concentrate between mine gates and processing facilities continues to grow. This is the sustained, multi-year demand layer that drives fleet investment decisions by Zambian transport contractors. Used HOWO A7 420HP 6x4 tractor trucks for copper concentrate haulage pulling flatbed trailers are the standard platform for this long-haul work.
The April 24 funding announcement confirms that all three demand phases are now on a credible timeline. Contractors sourcing equipment now — before site mobilisation begins — will be ahead of the procurement curve when EPC subcontracts are awarded in the second half of 2026.
Which Used HOWO Trucks Fit Zambia's Terrain
Zambia's terrain across Northwestern Province and the Copperbelt combines laterite haul roads, river crossings, steep gradients in mining areas, and long highway runs between Solwezi, Kitwe, and Lusaka. Road surfaces vary from well-maintained paved sections on the T1 and T2 highways to heavily degraded gravel access roads on mine sites and rural corridors. The following configurations are in highest demand:
Used HOWO 6x4 dump trucks, 371HP — the most widely used platform for earthmoving, aggregate haulage, and construction fill. The WD615 engine is well-known to mechanics in Zambia's Copperbelt towns. 2015–2020 model years offer the best balance of price, mileage, and remaining service life.
Used HOWO A7 6x4 tractor trucks, 420HP — preferred for long-haul concentrate movements and container transport from mine gate to Lusaka or cross-border into Zimbabwe and Tanzania. The A7 platform offers improved fuel efficiency over the earlier HOWO 7 series, a meaningful advantage on 400–600 kilometre runs.
Used HOWO water bowser trucks 20,000–25,000 litre for dust suppression on mining haul roads — essential on unpaved haul roads at mine sites and for water supply to construction camps along the rail alignment. Demand for this configuration rises sharply at project initiation as access roads are graded and camp infrastructure is established.
Used HOWO fuel tanker trucks — diesel supply to remote site locations along the 515-kilometre alignment. Camp infrastructure at distances of 100–300 kilometres from the nearest fuel depot requires dedicated tanker support from day one of site mobilisation.
Practical Buying Guidance for Zambian Operators
Zambia imports used trucks primarily through Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Durban in South Africa. Both ports have established clearing networks for used Chinese commercial vehicles. Buyers should factor in transit times of 35–50 days from Qingdao to Dar es Salaam and 30–45 days to Durban, plus an additional 10–15 days for customs clearance and road transport to Lusaka or the Copperbelt.
China's January 2026 MOFCOM export regulations require that any vehicle exported as used must have been registered in China for a minimum of 180 days before the export application is submitted. Trucks registered before July 2025 are therefore immediately exportable. Buyers placing orders now can receive trucks at Zambian destinations in Q3 2026 — ahead of the EPC contractor award window and the beginning of site mobilisation.
For multi-unit orders of five or more trucks, Qingdao Alston Motors Co., Ltd recommends pre-shipment inspection by an independent third-party inspector in China, covering engine condition, chassis integrity, mileage verification, and documentation cross-checking with MOFCOM export compliance records. This step eliminates the most common risk in used truck procurement and ensures full clearance at the port of entry without delays.
Buyers targeting railway construction subcontracts should prioritise 2016–2019 model years in 6x4 configuration with verified mileage below 300,000 kilometres. These units offer full remaining service life across a four-year construction programme while keeping acquisition cost well below the equivalent new truck price. On Zambia's mining road conditions, total cost of ownership over a four-year project lifecycle consistently favours used HOWO units over new European alternatives at a two-to-three times price premium.
The Lobito Corridor spans three countries, and fleet demand will be active across all of them. Operators in the DRC rail spur zone should see our page on used HOWO trucks for DRC cobalt mining transport between Kitwe and Kolwezi. For the Atlantic terminus end of the corridor, used HOWO trucks for Angola Lobito port logistics and heavy haulage covers operators based at the export end of the rail line. For Southern Africa cross-border freight, used HOWO trucks in Zimbabwe for long-haul freight on the Zambia corridor is the relevant reference for operators running trans-border traffic between Lusaka and Harare or Beitbridge.
Sources
Votre message doit contenir entre 20 et 3 000 caractères!
French
