The Barcelona metropolitan area will provide approximately 7.8 million meticais (110,000 dollars) to implement urban mobility projects in strategic areas of Maputo, as part of a technical cooperation agreement between the two municipalities.
According to Lusa, the partnership was formalized during a visit by the Mayor of Maputo, Rasaque Manhique, to the Catalan capital, where he attended the World Metropolitan Summit and the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Forum of European Metropolitan Authorities.
During the meeting, the Barcelona Metropolitan Declaration was signed, committing participating cities to an inclusive and sustainable urban transformation, based on the promotion of human rights, combating climate change, and strengthening democratic governance.
“What we will do together is continue advancing the projects we already have, through this financing,” said the Mayor of Maputo, highlighting the strategic value of cooperation with Barcelona to improve urban mobility conditions in the Mozambican capital.
Meanwhile, Jord Castellana, Vice President of the Barcelona metropolitan area for international relations and digital cities, reiterated the entity’s commitment to technically support Maputo’s municipal efforts, emphasizing the “very intense relationship” between the two local governments and the goal of intervening in critical points of the city.
The collaboration comes at a time when the Government has been focusing on integrated solutions for the transport sector. In June, a pilot project was launched in the Maputo metropolitan area to combine road and rail transport, introducing buses that connect neighborhoods to train stations.
The initiative is based on a rechargeable electronic ticket system, already in use on Mozambique Railways (CFM), allowing passengers to travel with a single daily fare across different modes of transport.
According to the Minister of Transport and Communications, this solution aims to reduce congestion on the most critical roads during peak hours and ensure greater flow and efficiency in the urban mobility system, particularly in Maputo and Matola. “The transport problem requires bold and immediate solutions,” he stated.
Source: Diário Económico
