The Mozambican government is considering farming out National Highway N7 to private companies to guarantee routine maintenance on this approximately 500-kilometre stretch of road that links Vanduzi district, in Manica province, to Zobue, in Tete province, on the border with Malawi.

According to the Minister of Public Works, Carlos Mesquita, cited in "Noticias" on 23 August, the current state of the road surface is worrying, with potholes along almost its entire length.

"The N7 is vitally important, as it boosts and catapults the province's economy and is an important link for the countries of the hinterland, which use it to access the Port of Beira, hence the urgent need for rehabilitation to provide better comfort for motorists", he said.

Mesquita guaranteed that while the mobilisation of funds for major work on the entire length of the road is being discussed, the contractors who have been mobilised are working on the most critical sites.

"We have been discussing with our partners to see if we can find the funds to carry out an intervention on the entire length of the N7 and other roads in the country, such as the N1 [the main north-south highway], some of which will later be farmed out to private management", Mesquita said.

At the moment, the government, through the National Roads Administration (ANE), is investing over one billion meticais (US$15.6 million) for the emergency rehabilitation and periodic maintenance of 151 kilometres between Catandica in Manica and Changara, in Tete.

Mesquita pledged that the work will be completed by the first half of 2024.