Maputo — Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano on Monday predicted that the major building and rehabilitation work on a key stretch of the country's main north-south highway will be concluded by March 2003.

This is the stretch of the road in the northern part of Sofala province, running for 321 kilometres from the Inchope crossroads, through Gorongosa, to Caia on the south bank of the Zambezi. The total cost of this stretch is put at 57 million US dollars.

Chissano was speaking during a ceremony to inaugurate a stretch of the same road further south. This was the stretch from the Save river to the small town of Muxungue, which was severely damaged by flooding in 2000.

The rehabilitation of the 107 kilometres of the Save- Muchungue stretch cost 106 million meticais (about 4.4 million dollars).

Chissano described this work as "an integral part of the government's overall effort, from the north to the south of the country, and which has already led to the rehabilitation of other roads, among them the roads from Pemba to Montepuez (in the northern province of Cabo Delgado), and from Namacurra to the Zambezi (in the central province of Zambezia)".

"An additional effort has been made in response to the emergency situation" (caused by the floods of 2000 and 2001), added Chissano, pointing in particular to the emergency rehabilitation of several key roads in Zambezia, Sofala and Inhambane provinces.

As for the planned bridge over the Zambezi at Caia, Chissano said that the government has so far raised about 40 per cent of the money needed. The total cost of the bridge is estimated at between 70 and 90 million dollars.