Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the public company responsible for road and rail management in Portugal, completed on Tuesday, September 23, the training of 40 inspectors from Mozambique Railways (CFM), out of a total of 76 scheduled over ten months. IP will also support the rehabilitation of the Inhambane Railway School, Lusa reported.
“This partnership between the two largest public infrastructure companies of Portugal and Mozambique goes beyond these training activities. Further work is planned related to the Inhambane Railway School, which also motivates us greatly,” stated Gonçalo Oliveira, from IP Engineering.
The head of international business and representation at IP spoke in Maputo during the closing ceremony of the course that began on May 5. The training involved 40 candidates for track and traffic inspector positions from CFM South, in Maputo, and CFM Central, in Beira.
Meanwhile, another training session is already underway with 13 CFM trainees, and a fourth phase is scheduled for November, involving 23 professionals in Beira. Overall, IP will train 76 Mozambican inspectors over ten months, under the agreement signed by the administrations of both companies in May 2024.
“It is also a program stemming from the cooperation established between Portugal and Mozambique, which prioritizes the transport infrastructure sector. It is a source of pride for us at IP,” emphasized Gonçalo Oliveira, highlighting the economic and social impact of the initiative. According to Selma Dixon, executive administrator of CFM, the trainees include candidates for track, traffic, signaling, traction, and shunting inspector roles. “This results from cooperation between the two friendly countries,” she stressed, adding that the training is integrated into the company’s strategic plan.
She highlighted that capacity building is of vital importance, especially given a more competitive market. CFM plans to invest in other rail-port specialization areas and move forward with the rehabilitation of the Inhambane Railway School.
Selma Dixon revealed that a team of administrators, human resources technicians, and IP representatives will travel to Inhambane on Wednesday to assess the school’s conditions and design an effective reactivation plan. “The railway school drives our training processes. Our intention is that in the coming years it will be fully operational and that future training will take place there. That is the dream; that is our ambition,” the executive administrator stated.
Portuguese Ambassador Jorge Monteiro praised the cooperation as an example of the exemplary relationship between the two countries, highlighting the importance of the railway system in connecting the inland areas to the ports of Maputo, Beira, and Nacala.
The partnership between IP and CFM is part of the current Portugal-Mozambique Strategic Cooperation Program (PEC), valid until 2026, and will be further strengthened in the next PEC 2027-31, consolidating rail transport as a key axis for economic and social development.
Source: Diário Económico
