The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $71.8-million grant and $3.1-million loan for Mozambique for the construction of a 70 km asphalted road section in northern Mozambique, to improve connectivity with Tanzania.
The project will open up an isolated part of Mozambique, contributing to economic growth and the eradication of poverty, as well as foster cross-border trade and reinforce regional integration.
The road segment, known as Mueda Negomano, represents a missing link on the transport corridor between Mozambique and Tanzania.
The Phase 1 improvement of the 70 km section of road will reduce the time it takes to travel between the two areas from three to one hour.
The first phase will be complemented by a second one, which is planned to start in 2019 and which will connect Roma, in Tanzania to Mueda, in Mozambique and includes the construction of a one-stop border post.
“The project is key for traders and road users who transport goods between Tanzania and Mozambique. Following the completion, they will benefit from more direct and shorter journeys to the ports of Pemba, in Mozambique, and Mtwara, in Tanzania, effectively enhancing regional trade,” says AfDB chief transport engineer Aymen Osman Ali.
The new road will extend the paved road recently built in Tanzania that was also financed by the AfDB.