The Port of Pemba, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, on Tuesday inaugurated a transit warehouse, with the capacity for 10,000 tonnes, to handle graphite mined in the district of Balama.
The export of graphite is expected to increase the amount of cargo handled by Pemba port from 250,000 to 400,000 tonnes per year.
The Balama graphite had previously been exported exclusively from Nacala, in the neighbouring province of Nampula.
The infrastructure was built at the Port of Pemba by Grindrod Logística Moçambique, contracted by Twigg Exploration Mining, which operates the Balama graphite mine.
During the inauguration of the warehouse, the Secretary of State for Cabo Delgado Province, António Supeia, argued that the graphite transit warehouse fulfils one of the wishes of the government, which was to see this mineral exported through Pemba.
“Achieving this goal will bring more revenue to the province, as well as helping to create jobs”, he said, adding that the warehouse can also be used to store other types of cargo, as part of maximising the potential of the facilities.
The Port of Pemba traditionally handles fuel, timber and clinker for the manufacture of construction cement.
Despite the investments made by the publicly-owned Ports and Rail Company, CFM, to make the port more profitable, the problem of access continues to be a challenge, since the road, as well as being narrow, also passes through the centre of the city and through very populated areas.
AIM
