Government has 1.1 billion dollars available for rehabilitating north-south road

Maputo, 30 May (AIM) – The Mozambican Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Matlombe, on Thursday announced that the government has so far mobilized 1.1 billion US dollars for the rehabilitation of the country’s main north-south highway (EN1), which runs for 2,620 kilometres.

According to Matlombe, who was answering questions on Thursday from deputies in the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, the rehabilitation of the entire road is estimated at around 3.5 billion dollars.

“We have about 1.1 billion dollars secured and the preparatory work for the reconstruction is underway. The government is already working to mobilize the remaining amount”, he said.
The minister explained that, taking into account the financial limitations for the rehabilitation of the EN1 and the delay in starting the activities financed by cooperation partners, the government has drawn up a strategic intervention plan for the next five years.

“The degradation of EN1 has reached miserable levels, and the government expects that intervention work may take place as soon as possible in order to reverse the current situation”, he said.

According to Matlombe, in the first phase, the government has mobilized 400 million dollars for the rehabilitation of 508 kilometers.

“The tender for this phase was launched for the selection of the contractor who will rehabilitate the Gorongosa-Caia section (in the central province of Sofala) over a length of 84 kilometers. The process is currently at the stage of approving the evaluation report for hiring the contractor who will carry out the work.”

“The previously announced amounts exist and will be gradually disbursed by the financing agency as the works are underway”, he added.

Over the last year, the former Minister of Public Works, Carlos Mesquita, promised that the rehabilitation work – financed by the Saudi Development Fund to the tune of 50 million US dollars to rehabilitate 27 kilometers of two sections of the N1 – would take place in May.
However, according to the authorities, the launch of the public tender to select the company that was to have carried out the work failed due to demands made by the World Bank.
(AIM)
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