The government wants to ease traffic congestion in Maputo with electric rail links, Mozambican President Daniel Chano announced on Friday, 9 May, after visiting a similar project in Tanzania, where he has been since Wednesday (7) at the invitation of his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Hassan.
‘We will work towards this goal so that we can actually implement a project that, in its initial phase, will not be national but will cover the Greater Maputo area. In this way, we intend to solve the transport problem that plagues that region,’ said Chapo.
‘We believe that the Maputo-Matola and Maputo-Marracuene connection is very important to ease traffic congestion in the country’s capital. A project of this type and size will bring benefits in terms of safety, speed and economic impact,’ added the head of state.
In April, the government announced that it intends to allocate almost 14 billion meticals (US$217.1 million) by 2030 to double railway lines and purchase carriages, locomotives and wagons in order to strengthen passenger and freight transport capacity.
‘In the southern and central railway system, under the direct management of the company Portos e Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), we plan to invest around 14 billion meticals in the period 2025-30 in the implementation of strategic projects,’ said the Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Matlombe.
In Tanzania, the Mozambican government is seeking experience in the agricultural sector, mainly in the production and marketing of soybeans, coffee and cashew nuts, and is also interested in the extractive industry and the resumption of the implementation of the single border crossing system linking the two countries.
Last year, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan reported that trade between her country and Mozambique reached 3.6 billion meticals (US$57.8 million) in 2023 and, in mid-2024, stood at 1.2 billion meticals (US$20.1 million).
Diplomatic relations between Mozambique and Tanzania have been characterised by a historic and strategic alliance, established shortly after independence in 1975.
