Transport Ministry of Mozambique determined to increase revenue

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Transport Ministry of Mozambique determined to increase revenue

9:02 CAT | 25 Aug 2017

File photo / Minister of Transport and Communications Carlos Mesquita

The Mozambican Ministry of Transport and Communications plans to adopt a series of measures this year to increase its revenue, declared the Minister, Carlos Mesquita, on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of a meeting of his Ministry’s Coordinating Council, in the resort of Bilene, in the southern province of Gaza, Mesquita stressed the role of transport and communications in generating revenue for the country and in increasing its Gross Domestic Product.

Key examples were the recently inaugurated Nacala-a-Velha coal terminal, on the northern coast, and the dredging of the access channel to the port of Maputo, allowing ships of over 80,000 tonnes to dock. It was facilities such as these that would encourage the country’s growth, said Mesquita.

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“With this installed capacity, Mozambique is now positioned in a competitive manner in the regional market for the handling of large quantities of merchandise”, he added. He was convinced that these improvements would be very significant in generating revenue for the state budget.

Mesquita urged all the professionals of the various institutions supervised by his Ministry to work with greater dedication and dynamism, and to undertake actions that promote the culture of lasting peace, tranquillity and public security, while rejecting any attempts at political destabilisation.

“In the coming period, the transport and communications sector should be proud that it has contributed to a substantial improvement in our economy and to poverty reduction, and the promotion of social inclusion in development”, he said.

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Future key investment, Mesquita continued, included rehabilitating the Manhica railway bridge, about 80 kilometres north of Maputo, increasing the capacity of urban and inter-city public passenger transport, rehabilitating river and maritime docking facilities, and ensuring greater security in Mozambican ports. He put no figure on how much these various initiatives would cost.

In civil aviation, the runway at the airport in Chimoio, capital of the central province of Manica, must be rehabilitated. Mesquita also wanted to see aerodromes built or rehabilitated in Xai-Xai, Inhambane, Bilene, Ponta do Ouro and Lumbo. The latter three could all be significant for tourism.

Mesquita also announced that his Ministry will shortly propose to the government the establishment of a Metropolitan Agency, covering Maputo, the neighbouring city of Matola and the Boane municipality in order to coordinate transport routes, and facilitate urban mobility.

“The agency will be a small organisation that will coordinate public passenger transport”, said the Minister. “This is the responsibility of the municipalities and each municipality has a territory. To move from one territory to another requires agreements, and the agency will organise these agreements”.

Source: AIM