Mozambique: Rehabilitation of N1 to start in May 2024 – president

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Mozambique: Rehabilitation of N1 to start in May 2024 – president

7:27 CAT | 07 Aug 2023

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: O País]

The first phase of the rehabilitation of Mozambique’s national highway number 1 (EN1) will begin in May 2024, covering a first section of 580 kilometres, the Mozambican president, Filipe Nyusi, announced on Friday.

Nyusi advanced the information after the inauguration of the first 70 kilometres of the new road, under construction, which will connect the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, and Tanzania, a neighbouring country.

“Following the rules of procedure of the financier, in this case the World Bank, the rehabilitation works of this important road, in its first phase, will begin in May next year,” said the head of state.

The work will start on the sections between Inchope-Gorongosa-Caia, Chimuara-Nicoadala and Metoro-Pemba, for a total length of about 580 kilometres, he added.

“We are aware of the concerns that arise around the situation of national road number 1,” emphasised the Mozambican President.

Also in the context of the rehabilitation of the infrastructure, Nyusi continued, resources have already been secured for the construction of a new bridge over the Licungo River, in the district of Mocuba, central Mozambique, of about 1,000 metres, and an access road of about 20 kilometres.

The head of state pointed out that, while N1’s construction work does not begin, emergency interventions are being carried out to ensure the road is passable.

The works consist of plugging holes and resealing, on the most critical stretches.

Referring to the situation of access roads degraded due to lack of maintenance, due to the war in Cabo Delgado province, the head of state said that the government is in negotiations with international partners to finance rehabilitation works on the sections that have become impassable.

Last March, the Mozambican executive had announced the start of the first phase of the N1 rehabilitation works this year, with funding of 375 million euros from the World Bank.

The total length of the N1 that needs to be rehabilitated is 1,053 kilometres of the approximately 2,600 kilometres of the road and, for this purpose, the World Bank indicated in August the availability of 850 million dollars (797 million euros), with almost half of the envelope going to the first phase.

Source: Lusa