The government announced on Tuesday, November 11, that it will concession the construction and operation of the Dondo Dry Port in Sofala province, central Mozambique, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), aiming to reduce congestion and stimulate regional development.
“It was approved a resolution stipulating that this infrastructure will be implemented through a PPP, with construction and operation carried out by the state-owned Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM),” said the spokesperson for the Council of Ministers, Salim Valá.
According to Valá, the Dondo Dry Port will be integrated with the Port of Beira, and the Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Matlombe, is authorized to form a technical team to negotiate directly with CFM the terms of the concession for the design, construction, operation, management, maintenance, and handover of the Dondo logistics terminal.
In July, the government assured that it would present a solution this year for direct access to the Port of Beira, in an effort to relieve congestion on National Road Six (N6), where truck queues exceed 10 kilometers, affecting the movement of people and goods.
“The issue of access to the Port of Beira greatly affects the city’s quality of life. Therefore, it is not just a port issue; it is also about the coexistence of the city with the infrastructure itself. We are currently working to find solutions for constructing the access road,” the minister stated. The N6 is considered a strategic infrastructure for the national economy, but its use has been consistently marked by congestion, especially near the port entrance, hampering logistics operations and daily life for users.
Meanwhile, Cornelder, the concessionaire of the Port of Beira, announced plans to invest 640 million meticais ($9.9 million) in modernizing and expanding the infrastructure, as well as acquiring new equipment.
“Our vision includes acquiring modern equipment to reduce handling time at the terminal, particularly for containerized cargo, with greater security. With these innovations, we expect to handle over 300,000 metric tons per year,” said Cornelder CEO Jan De Vries.
According to the CEO, the investment will include 30 forklifts and expanded warehouses covering 3,000 square meters, which will allow the port to double the volume of cargo handled, serving neighboring countries for import and export activities.
Jan De Vries added that Cornelder “has several innovative projects in the pipeline to make the Port of Beira an excellent logistics platform, not only for Sofala province but also for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.”
Source: Diário Económico
