Mozambique has joined six other Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states in backing an ambitious $16.1 billion plan to transform the North-South Corridor (NSC) into a fully integrated “smart economic corridor” — a project expected to add over $16 billion to the region’s GDP and generate more than 1.6 million jobs.
The decision was endorsed at a high-level workshop in Johannesburg, where Mozambique stood alongside Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as key international development partners, to approve the NSC Economic Corridor Pilot Programme.
For Mozambique, the initiative holds particular promise. The upgraded NSC will enhance links between the country’s ports and inland transport networks, improving trade flows and opening new opportunities for industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, and value-added manufacturing. Strategically positioned within the corridor, Mozambique can serve as a gateway for goods moving between the Indian Ocean and inland SADC states.
The NSC — which stretches from Durban, South Africa, to Kolwezi in the DRC — already handles over 60% of SADC’s trade and supports more than half of the bloc’s population. It passes through vital agricultural zones, rich mineral belts, and major river basins such as the Zambezi and Limpopo, both of which are central to Mozambique’s own economy.
Connected to the Southern African Power Pool Grid and regional ICT infrastructure, the “smart corridor” model will focus on developing high-growth hubs near core infrastructure, cutting logistics costs, and attracting targeted investment in priority sectors.
Officials say the transformation of the NSC will be a major driver for Mozambique’s economic diversification, increasing competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) while creating sustainable jobs and reducing transport bottlenecks.
With political support now secured, the next step will be to mobilise funding, finalise governance structures, and coordinate implementation. If successful, the project could help position Mozambique as a central player in regional trade and industrial growth.
Source: 360 Mozambique/Further Africa
