Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become a key instrument for addressing Africa’s infrastructure gap.
In Southern Africa, they have underpinned some of the region’s most visible development projects. South Africa’s Gautrain rapid rail system, launched in 2010, remains a reference point for transport PPPs, blending state oversight with private investment to deliver one of the continent’s fastest rail links. In Lesotho, the Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital in Maseru, developed with International Finance Corporation support, was the first large-scale healthcare PPP in sub-Saharan Africa and continues to serve as a case study for how partnerships can transform public service delivery.
These examples illustrate that, when structured carefully, PPPs can mobilise capital, transfer expertise, and deliver long-term infrastructure that governments alone might struggle to finance. Mozambique is increasingly moving in this direction, with Cabo Delgado offering a practical case of how such collaboration can work in one of the country’s most challenging regions.
A Province Long Neglected
Cabo Delgado has historically stood apart from Mozambique’s development path. Despite its natural wealth, it has seen limited state investment in roads, ports, or health facilities. Even during the colonial period, infrastructure was minimal, and this legacy of exclusion has left communities isolated and vulnerable.
In recent years, however, the government has recognised the need for a new approach. A reconstruction and development plan for the province has been rolled out, with PPPs at the centre of its delivery. Among the private partners, the Mozambique LNG project operated by TotalEnergies has played a visible role. While revenues from gas exports are expected only in the future, the project has already supported infrastructure initiatives aimed at producing immediate local benefits.
Roads as Foundations for Development
Infrastructure deficits have long constrained growth in Cabo Delgado. Without reliable transport links, agriculture has struggled, goods and medicines have often arrived late, and small-scale commerce has been restricted.
Roadworks are beginning to address these barriers. In Palma, at the heart of LNG activity, a 1.1-kilometre paved road was completed in 2023, linking the city centre with the local harbour . The project, valued at around US$1 million, created 74 jobs filled entirely by local workers from Palma. It has already improved the distribution of goods, ensured steadier supplies arriving from Tanzania, and provided a secure route for medical deliveries.
The road cuts through some of Palma’s poorest neighbourhoods, creating new access for communities that had been on the margins of trade. For households in these areas, the benefits are immediate: safer travel, greater mobility, and new possibilities for selling produce.
Linking Health and Social Services
Beyond trade, the road network is supporting health and social services. One extension now under construction is linking Palma’s centre to the local hospital, which was rehabilitated in 2023. The works, employing 35 local residents in the initial works and 150 at the peak, will ensure faster patient access and smoother transport of medicines and equipment.
Plans are also in place for a 2.7-kilometre road connecting Palma village to the aerodrome. Representing another multi-million-dollar investment, the route is designed to improve passenger movement and cargo flows, strengthening the Palma’s emerging role as a regional hub.
Extending Access Beyond Palma
The improvements reach beyond Palma itself. In the village of Senga in the Afungi Peninsula, about 35 kilometres away, the rainy season once brought near-total isolation. Flooded rivers prevented access and made transport hazardous.
That changed in 2025 with the inauguration of a 1.7-kilometre road and bridge. The project, valued at ~ 2 million dollars and constructed with local labour from Palma, has ensured year-round access. Farmers and traders in Senga can now move produce to markets without seasonal disruption. Residents of Senga and Patacua now enjoy easier access to vital services, including healthcare – thanks to the deployment of a general doctor to the Quitunda Health Center – and education, as the new multi-million-dollar village of Quitunda offers a fully equipped primary school.
Partnerships in Practice
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how PPPs can function in Mozambique’s northern provinces. They combine government planning with private investment, ensuring that infrastructure delivery does not rely solely on anticipated gas revenues. Instead, benefits are visible today: kilometres of roads paved, bridges built, hospitals linked, and jobs created for local communities.
In total, more than 6.5 kilometres of new or rehabilitated roads have been completed or are underway in Palma and Senga. Investments exceed US$10 million, with hundreds of jobs created—all filled by workers recruited from the local population.
Looking Ahead
The scale of Mozambique’s infrastructure needs remains vast, and Cabo Delgado’s challenges are complex. Yet the progress achieved shows that PPPs can deliver targeted, immediate improvements even in difficult settings. Roads that link communities, hospitals, and ports are not just construction projects—they are foundations for inclusion and resilience.
For policymakers, the lesson is that large-scale projects such as Mozambique LNG can be leveraged for broader social outcomes. For investors, Cabo Delgado illustrates that PPPs provide a credible framework for balancing commercial imperatives with community needs. Although significant investments are underway, there is a clear need for a more structured and transparent framework to ensure effective monitoring and accountability within these partnerships.
South Africa’s Gautrain and Lesotho’s healthcare PPP underline the potential of these models. Mozambique’s early efforts in Cabo Delgado add a new dimension: demonstrating that even in a region marked by fragility, partnerships can create measurable local impact.
Northern Mozambique’s roads are modest in length, but their significance is larger. They represent the first steps toward knitting an isolated province into the national economy. The lesson is not just about kilometres or dollars invested, but about the role of collaboration in driving inclusive development.
Source: Further Africa
