Mozambican President Daniel Chapo began a three-day state visit to Botswana on Monday, 28 September, with the strengthening of bilateral relations and the economic and strategic interests of both countries at the centre of the agenda.
According to a report by the Mozambique Information Agency, one of the key topics of interest to Gaborone is the future Port of Techobanine, located in the Matutuíne district of Maputo Province, conceived as part of a railway corridor intended to link Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the Indian Ocean.
The visit takes place at the invitation of Botswana President Duma Boko and forms part of that country’s celebrations marking 60 years of independence, at which Daniel Chapo participates as a guest of honour.
For Botswana, a landlocked nation, the project represents an alternative route for the movement of goods and access to international markets, with the potential to diversify trade routes and reduce logistics costs.
The initiative envisages the construction of a deep-water port at Techobanine and a rail link connecting the three countries, creating a multimodal corridor designed to facilitate the flow of goods from the interior of Southern Africa to international markets.
The project extends beyond a bilateral partnership between Mozambique and Botswana. The three countries have been working for several years on its structuring, in an undertaking that could strengthen regional connectivity and expand transport options for landlocked nations, which depend on the ports and transport corridors of neighbouring coastal states to conduct their imports and exports.
In July 2024, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe signed agreements aimed at advancing the project, including instruments related to financing, port construction and the transportation of goods.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) frames the initiative as a multimodal transport infrastructure with the potential to support trade, industrialisation and regional economic integration. For Mozambique, the project could reinforce the role of its ports as gateways for goods destined for neighbouring countries. Zimbabwe, in turn, stands to benefit from a new rail connection to maritime markets.
Despite institutional progress, the project remains dependent on the completion of feasibility studies and other technical and financial steps required for its implementation. The mobilisation of financing and the overall structuring of the undertaking remain among the principal challenges.
It is in this context that Chapo’s visit takes on an economic dimension beyond the anniversary celebrations, potentially opening space for deeper dialogue on infrastructure, trade and regional integration.
Chapo to Discuss Bilateral Cooperation and Regional Integration
During the three-day stay, the head of state is expected to hold talks with Botswanan authorities on matters of bilateral and regional interest, in an effort to consolidate cooperation between Maputo and Gaborone. The trip thus intersects diplomacy with economic interests and brings into focus Mozambique’s role as a transit corridor connecting the region to international markets.
President Chapo is accompanied by First Lady Gueta Chapo, government ministers, members of the National Assembly, and officials from the Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and other state institutions.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/28/negocios/infra-estruturas/pr-visita-botsuana-com-porto-de-techobanine-na-agenda-estrategica/
