Mozambique will not consent to international maritime traffic in Shire and Zambezi rivers

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Mozambique will not consent to international maritime traffic in Shire and Zambezi rivers

8:18 CAT | 27 Apr 2016

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Monday presented the Malawian authorities with projects, seeking to reduce the costs of transporting merchandise to and from this landlocked country.

Nyusi made the proposals at a summit in Lilongwe at which the other two participants were the Malawian and Zambian Presidents, Peter Mutharika and Edgar Lungu.

At a press conference after the meeting, Nyusi said the three leaders had discussed “matters of common interest”, including maximizing the use of transport infrastructures, and exploring the possibilities for electricity generation and transmission.

But he made it very clear that Mozambique will not consent to the Malawian proposal to use the Shire and Zambezi rivers for international maritime traffic.

This project was conceived several years ago by the then Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika (brother of the current President), who considered it key to lowering transport costs to the Indian Ocean.

Malawi even went as far as building a port at Nsanje on the Shire at a cost of twenty million US dollars. The inauguration ceremony was a huge embarrassment when the Mozambican authorities blocked fertilizer laden barges that were en route to Nsanje.

Mozambique opposes opening the two rivers to international traffic on environmental grounds. For example, to make the entire route navigable would entail constant dredging, and any major spills would be damaging to delicate river eco-systems.

Nyusi made it clear that the Mozambican position has not changed, and that using the Shire-Zambezi waterway for international traffic is “not viable”. He suggested that the Nsanje port, now largely unused, could be converted into a dry port.

Malawi Digest / Mota-Engil built the Nsanje port. In the picture a photo of the bill board at the Nsanje Inland Port where work is reported progressing rapidly. (December 2009)

The most important issue, he said, is that countries of the region should complement each other, particularly in difficult situations such as the drought currently affecting much of southern Africa.

Mutharika declared that Malawi is willing to use all possible alternatives to reduce the cost of imports.

“President Nyusi was very exhaustive in presenting all the projects”, he said. “We are ready to use the Mozambican ports”. Malawi’s shortest and cheapest outlets to the sea are the railways to the Mozambican ports of Beira and Nacala.

Joint Malawian-Mozambican team for refugees

As for the Mozambicans who have fled into Malawi to escape clashes between government forces and gunmen of the rebel movement Renamo, Nyusi said “we identified aspects that should be improved, and this includes setting up a joint team, between Mozambique and Malawi, to know what kind of support is necessary”.

“We thank the Malawian government and people for their support”, he said. “It was interesting to note that, despite their own difficulties, the government of Malawi welcomed and supported the Mozambicans”.

Nyusi added that the summit recommended that Malawi should create conditions for the refugees to return voluntarily to Mozambique.

Source: AIM