Watch: Nyusi lays first stone for Tica-Buzi-Nova Sofala road

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Watch: Nyusi lays first stone for Tica-Buzi-Nova Sofala road

8:16 CAT | 10 Sep 2018

Photo: Presidente Filipe Nyusi / Facebook

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Friday laid the first stone for the paving of a major road in the central province of Sofala, running from Tica, in Nhamatanda district, through the district of Buzi, to Nova Sofala on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

The road links Buzi to the EN6 highway, running from the port of Beira to Zimbabwe. It is 134 kilometres long, and the job is budgeted at over 126 million US dollars, provided by the Exim Bank of India, and by the Mozambican government. Paving and widening the road should take 33 months, and so the work should be completed in 2021.

The job includes building a 670 metre long bridge over the Buzi river. Floods on the Buzi in the rainy season have frequently made the existing Tica-Buzi road impassable, and have cut Buzi district off from the rest of the country.

At the Friday ceremony, Nyusi recalled that India was the first country in Asia he visited after becoming head of state in 2015. He said that, in his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he told him there was a river in Mozambique “that doesn’t let the people rest”, referring to the Buzi.

“He replied ‘let us see’, and when he came to Mozambique, this became a promise along with other road development projects, such as the Mandlakazi-Macuacua road in the south (inaugurated last month)”, said Nyusi.

Indian High Commissioner Rudra Shresth told the ceremony that India agreed to finance the road, because it regards Mozambique as a strategic partner.

“We are certain that the Tica-Buzi road will become one of the brilliant examples of cooperation between Mozambique and India”, he said. “We remain available to help with other important infrastructure needs, in accordance with the government’s priorities”.

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