Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana ministers meet over Techobanine project

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Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana ministers meet over Techobanine project

12:57 CAT | 05 Aug 2024

Photo: Ministério dos Transportes e Comunicações

Three ministers – Amilcar Allisone of Mozambique, Felix Mhona of Zimbabwe and Eric Molale of Botswana – came together to endorse and sign a historic Joint Tripartite Ministerial Report. This report, addressed to the Heads of State and Government of the three countries, on collaboration between NRZ, Botswana Railways and CFM (Mozambique Ports and Railways) to inject US$10 million in upgrading the railway line between Chicualacuala, Dabuka and Bulawayo, marks a significant milestone in the collaborative tripartite efforts to upgrade existing railway infrastructure within the framework of the Ponta Techobanine Project, as directed by the three heads of state three weeks ago.

The ministers responsible for Transport of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana met on Friday (02-08) in Harare, Zimbabwe, to agree on the best mechanism to create synergies for the rehabilitation of critical sections of the railway line connecting the Port of Maputo and Botswana, via Zimbabwe. The meeting was held in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana, on the Ponta Techobanine Project, held on July 12, 2024, in Mozambique.

At the meeting in Harare, the ministers assessed the practical needs for the rehabilitation of the line and agreed on mechanisms to coordinate synergies between the railway operators of the three countries in the rehabilitation of the Chicualacuala/Dabuka/Bulawayo sections, an estimated distance of around 614 km, in Zimbabwean territory.

The Harare Trilateral Meeting also agreed on the mechanisms for operationalising collaboration between the railway operators of the three countries, as well as the respective mechanisms for reimbursement of investments to be made by the railway operators of Mozambique and Botswana in the Zimbabwe railway system.

These consensuses will be presented at the next trilateral summit of heads of state in a report on the arrangement of collaboration between National Railways of Zimbabwe NRZ, Botswana Railways and CFM (Mozambique Ports and Railways) to inject US$10 million in upgrading the railway line between Chicualacuala, Dabuka and Bulawayo, which marks a significant milestone in their collaborative tripartite efforts to upgrade the existing railway infrastructure within the framework of the Ponta Techobanine project.

Speaking at the Harare meeting, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of Mozambique, Amilton Alissone, who led the Mozambican delegation at the meeting, explained that as part of the development of railway and port infrastructures to meet the logistics needs of the three countries, Mozambique ensures the full operability of the Limpopo railway line, which connects the Port of Maputo to Zimbabwe, which required only the replacement of some sleepers on the Chokwe to Mabalane section, an activity that would be completed in less than three months and lift existing speed restrictions on this section on the Mozambican side.

Likewise, Deputy Minister Alissone gave assurances that the Machipanda railway line, recently rehabilitated and upgraded, connecting the port of Beira to Zimbabwe, would be fully operational, thus providing an opportunity to choose the route that best suits the traffic needs of Zimbabwe and Botswana.

and Bulawayo, marks a significant milestone in their collaborative tripartite efforts to upgrade the existing railway infrastructure within the framework of the Ponta Techobanine Project directed by the three Heads of State three weeks ago.

— Ministry of Transport – Zimbabwe (@MinistryofTID) August 2, 2024

On 12 July, Mozambique hosted the trilateral Summit of the Heads of State and Government of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana, during which the leaders instructed the ministers responsible for transport in the three states to work together to present practical solutions for revitalising the existing railway infrastructure along the Limpopo line, to ensure the connection between Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana, while also mobilising resources for a joint study on the Ponta Techobanine Project.

The US$6,5 billion Ponta Techobanine project report, which was prepared by a team of technical teams from Zimbabwe, Mozambique & Botswana in Harare, is now ready to be presented to the three Heads of State for approval.@MinistryofTID @BWGovernment @NLinMozambique @RaxioMozambique pic.twitter.com/Qmo07HHvOW

— Patsime_Zw (@Patsime_Zw) August 3, 2024

1/3 The minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Felix T. Mhona and his counterparts from Botswana and Mozambique, Hon E. Molale and Hon Allisone, respectively, today signed the draft trilateral agreement for the implementation of the Ponta Techobanine Railway pic.twitter.com/6NnoCZidqr

— National Railways of Zimbabwe (@NRZ263) August 2, 2024

Source: Ministério dos Transportes e Comunicações / Press Release