CFM seeking 115 million dollars for Pemba port expansion

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CFM seeking 115 million dollars for Pemba port expansion

7:22 CAT | 28 Feb 2019

Photo: Noticias

Mozambique’s publicly-owned ports and rail company, CFM, is seeking 115 million US dollars to invest in the port of Pemba in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

The company has already invested five million dollars on expanding the storage and handling areas and the purchase of new machinery. However, according to the daily newspaper “Noticias”, CFM wishes to expand the port’s capacity to meet the growing demand from mining, agriculture, and other industries in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa.

Currently, due to the port’s limitations, various mining companies in the region are exporting their produce through the port of Nacala in neighbouring Nampula province. For example, companies mining graphite in the district of Balama are trucking their produce by road to Nacala – a distance of over 450 kilometres.

The plan to develop the port of Pemba was announced on Wednesday by the chairperson of the CFM board, Miguel Matabele, at the Congress of the Association of Portuguese Speaking Ports (APLOP) which is being held in Maputo.

The Congress was opened by Transport Minister Carlos Mesquita, who stressed the government’s continued support for the rail and port sector in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). However, he highlighted a number of challenges that the sector will face in the coming years.

Mesquita stressed the fundamental need for stability to guarantee the perfect execution of port services. He added that the planning, implementation, and development of ports is a complex task that aims to create social and economic development through facilitating trade, reducing transport costs, and enabling the movement of goods.

The minister stated that there is an urgent need to modernise the port regulatory framework. This requires staff training to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the different port authorities. He added that there is also a need to modernise the operational regulations in relation to the environment, maritime security, and infrastructure.

APLOP was founded in 2011 with the objective of defending the interests of its members and contributing to modernisation. Its members are from Mozambique, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, and Timor-Leste (East Timor). It has two observers, Macau and Morocco.

Source: AIM