Mozambique is betting on logistics to rework the nation’s financial construction, with massive investments going into corridors linking the hinterland to the nation’s lengthy shoreline. João Jorge Matlombe, Mozambique’s minister of transport and logistics, says transport corridors, that are already a significant conduit for commerce between the area’s landlocked international locations, are the drivers of the federal government’s imaginative and prescient of financial transformation.
“We’re prioritising the rehabilitation and modernisation of our transport corridors, significantly the Maputo, Beira and Nacala corridors, which serve not solely Mozambique but in addition the landlocked international locations of the area equivalent to Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The work entails increasing port capability, modernising railway traces and enhancing street networks to make sure higher effectivity and competitiveness within the motion of products. We’re additionally investing in digital methods to facilitate commerce, scale back forms and speed up customs clearance processes,” he says.
A shift from mere transit
In rolling this out, the federal government is growing partnerships with the non-public sector and growth companies. “In the end, our goal is to shift from being merely a transit nation to changing into a logistics and providers centre that provides worth to regional commerce and stimulates industrialisation inside Mozambique,” he says.
The Maputo Hall in southern Mozambique connects the Port of Maputo to South Africa, transporting minerals, agricultural merchandise, manufactured items and transit cargo to the commercial heartland of Gauteng and northern elements of South Africa. There are plans to develop the prevailing, however under-used, hyperlinks from the port to Zimbabwe and to Swaziland.
The Beira Hall connects the Port of Beira to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and the southern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It consists of rail and street hyperlinks to the hinterland, and likewise a gasoline pipeline to Zimbabwe.
The Nacala Hall connects w, one of many deepest pure ports in Africa, to Malawi and Zambia, and likewise has a railway line linking these international locations. Nonetheless, commerce alongside the route remains to be comparatively undiversified, focusing totally on transferring coal from Tete Province in Mozambique, by Malawi, to the port. There was appreciable funding within the port to develop, amongst different issues, a brand new quay completely for container ships and new gear for dealing with containerised cargo.
A fourth, the Cabo Delgado Hall, is rising on the again of the large liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) developments within the northern areas, which can embody the cities of Pemba and Palma, positioned within the distant space within the far north that’s the website of the gasoline initiatives. This could concentrate on power sector logistics inside the nation and supply regional connectivity with neighbouring Tanzania. However it’s in its early days, significantly as there may be little infrastructure within the space and no first rate land connections to Tanzania.
The Maputo Improvement Hall is essentially the most superior thus far, boosted by partnerships with South Africa and personal sector enterprise ties. The Port of Maputo has turn out to be a most well-liked outlet for bulk minerals from South Africa to keep away from congestion on the Durban and Richards Bay ports, with agriculture a rising space of commerce, together with citrus and maize.
In keeping with the Maputo Port Improvement Firm (MPDC), the port dealt with a complete quantity of 30.9m tonnes of cargo in 2024, though this was affected by the closure of the Lebombo border crossing between South Africa and Mozambique, one of many busiest within the area, throughout Mozambique’s post-election violence in November. Nevertheless it reported progress in each street and rail volumes for the complete 12 months.
Funding and partnerships
Matlombe says the event of the corridors entails increasing port capability, modernising railway traces and enhancing street networks to make sure higher effectivity and competitiveness within the motion of products. “We’re additionally investing in digital methods to facilitate commerce, scale back forms and speed up customs clearance processes. “A great instance is the combination of single-window platforms that enable for sooner and extra clear transactions, supporting each home and cross-border commerce,” he says. The dimensions of funding wanted is excessive, requiring partnerships with the non-public sector and growth companions, he says. These will embody provisions for upkeep of the infrastructure, permitting the state to concentrate on regulation and oversight. “As well as, we’re establishing devoted funds for upkeep, partly financed by person charges, to ensure steady funding within the maintenance of our corridors.”
The African Improvement Financial institution is without doubt one of the companions, supporting investments in port modernisation, railway rehabilitation and street initiatives that present regional linkages. AfDB vice chairman Solomon Quaynor says: “We additionally concentrate on the gentle infrastructure – commerce facilitation measures, harmonisation of customs methods and capability constructing for establishments managing the corridors. Bodily infrastructure alone can not ship the complete advantages.”
“In Mozambique, we’re working to construction progressive financing devices that mix sovereign assets, growth finance and personal capital.
“For instance, we help PPPs [public-private partnerships] in ports and railways, which scale back the burden on the federal government whereas making certain industrial viability.”
“Past transport, we see logistics as a part of a broader industrialisation technique. So we’re additionally financing power, digital infrastructure and agro-industrial initiatives that hyperlink to the corridors,” says Quaynor. “In our 10-year technique, we’ve got given elevated precedence to regional interventions in addition to the creation of regional transmission corridors. One of many key success components is the provision of satisfactory enterprise capital to finance the preparation of those initiatives.
Enhancing safety and effectivity
Wilfrid Flottes de Pouzols, director basic of Scanning Programs, an organization that gives inspection and scanning know-how at ports, border posts and logistics centres, says it’s putting in trendy inspection methods.
This, he says, will enable cargo to be scanned rapidly and precisely, decreasing delays, rising income assortment for the state and combating illicit commerce.
“We additionally combine our know-how with customs digital platforms, in order that inspection outcomes are instantly accessible to the authorities and merchants. This creates a clear and environment friendly system that facilitates cross-border commerce.”
Enhancing each safety and effectivity is making Mozambique’s corridors extra aggressive and extra trusted by regional and world companions, he says.
