Japan Zooms In on Nacala Corridor at TICAD9

On 20 August 2025, Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba announced the co-creation of the flagship initiative ‘Strengthening the Global Supply Chain through the Nacala Corridor Development’ during #TICAD2025. The Nacala Corridor connected landlocked countries Zambia, Malawi to coastal Mozambique, more specifically to the seaport of Nacala on the Indian Ocean.

The Nacala Corridor is strategic as it acts a vital trade artery for various agricultural produce and mining resources. The development of the Nacala Corridor wil be undertaken under the ‘Co-creation for common agenda initiative’ which was approved by the Japanese Cabinet in June 2023. The co-creation initiative emphasizes joint goal formulation with partners while resolving Japan’s own challenges.

For instance, the Kasiya mine in Malawi is expected to benefit from the Nacala Corridor project. It will lower transportation cost and provides a direct route to a deep-water seaport. Australian firm Sovereign Metals owns and operates the Kasiya mine which produces rutile, a titanium ore. It is estimated that Kasiya has 1.8 billon tonnes of ore with 1% of Titatium and 1.4% of graphite.

Entering into Zambia, the Nacala Corridor also facilitates access to the #Copperbelt region, which is the world’s richest copper ore reserves with an estimated 3.3 billion tonnes of ores at 0.5% grade.

As one of the key #EconomicCorridors identified by the European Union’s #GGI, the Nacala Corridor would probably attract interest from Europe. Under its #BRI, China appears to be focused on upgrading the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (#TAZARA), which also leads to the famed #Copperbelt region.