The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE ongoing rehabilitation of the Beira Corridor, which is nearing completion, is expected to transform not only the transport and communication networks within Mozambique; but will also be a major boost for landlocked Southern African Development Community (SADC) economies, a Mozambican government official has said.
The aim of the Beira Project is the rehabilitation of the transport infrastructure along the Beira Corridor.
The project’s scope of work includes the rehabilitation of the Sena railway line and the restoration of the Beira Port access channel to its original form.
In her address during the 43rd Independence Day Manicaland provincial commemorations held at a packed Sakubva Stadium here in Mutare, Governor of the Manica Province, Madame Francisca Domingos Tomas said the rehabilitation works on the Beira-Machipanda railway line are underway and will be concluded soon.
“In recent times, we have been recording the resumption of economic growth in our States as some of the measures that had been imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19 pandemic are gradually lifted.
“And because the Beira Corridor is an important driving force for the economy of the region, after the completion of the rehabilitation works on the EN-6 national road, the rehabilitation works on the railway lines which are underway will be concluded soon,” said Madame Tomas.
The Beira railway has two major segments —the Machipanda line to Zimbabwe, and the Sena line to the coal fields of Moatize, with further connection to Malawi.
“The completion of these works will allow for greater fluidity in traffic as well as rapid flow of goods to and from the hinterland, and we, as the provincial government of Manica, reiterate our total openness in continuing to work in coordination with the Zimbabwean authorities to facilitate the movement and security of our people and goods.
“It is our conviction that these actions will be able to boost the socioeconomic development of the provinces of Manica and Manicaland and therefore boost the regional integration of our countries,” she said.
By improving the performance of the Beira corridor transport system, the project seeks to reduce transports costs in the Beira Corridor (both at the port and on the railway), improve safety in accessing the port and ultimately contribute to poverty reduction in Mozambique and neighboring land-locked countries, Zimbabwe included.
Once concluded, the project is set to benefit Mozambique’s central and northern provinces of Sofala, Manica, Zambezia and Tete; as well as landlocked SADC countries that include Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
When Cyclone Idai hit parts of the region in 2019, there was a serious setback in infrastructure development along the Beira Corridor.
Strong winds, torrential rain and flooding generated mass devastation in the city of Beira.
The cyclone also travelled inland along the Beira Corridor to wreak further damage across central Mozambique, Malawi and the Eastern parts of Zimbabwe.
Parts of the Port of Beira were severely damaged, thereby impeding delivery of fuel, wheat and other goods.
In addition to that, roads and bridges were washed away and businesses in Zimbabwe suffered from the breakdown in imports and exports.
