Mozambique may be the
third poorest country in
the world but its coal and
gas finds have made it
an attractive investment
destination.
And developing its port
infrastructure is not only a
necessity but a priority.
According to Dr
Andrew Shaw, an
associate director with
Pricewaterhousecoopers
(PWC) transport,
infrastructure investment
to the tune of $17 million
is planned which will
largely connect the mining
and agricultural clusters
to the export ports. The
projects have however
been hampered by serious
delays.
Shaw said a major
challenge in addressing
the infrastructure
shortfalls was the
fact that government
decisions still took a long
time, hampering the
implementation of projects
that could see improved
port infrastructure.
“There is no denying that
there is a significant need
to upgrade and improve the
rail network and ports while
at the same time connecting
them all,” he said.
The country, also
representing a natural
entry point for its
landlocked neighbours
to the west, was still
frequently by-passed.
Better port
infrastructure would go
a long way in addressing
this.
According to Shaw
another southern African
country that needs to
rehabilitate and upgrade
its port infrastructure
is Angola.
“It is the third largest
African economy, with
oil accounting for 98% of
revenue,” he said. “While
we have seen improvements
in customs, the logistics
performance remains weak
thanks to congestion at the
ports and very long waiting
times.”
There are port expansion
plans in the pipeline but
these have yet to take off.
He said with ports
remaining the most
important entry and exit
points for cargo on the
continent it was important
that upgrading them
was high on government
agendas.
Last year two new cranes
were installed at the Port of
Luanda which significantly
improved the turnaround
time of vessels. The port
has also invested heavily in
training of staff.
CAPTION
The Port of Luanda... new cranes speeding up turnaround.
