Angoche — Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, on Wednesday laid the first stone for paving the 96 kilometre highway in the northern province of Nampula between the coastal city of Angoche and the town of Nametil.
This is part of the road that will eventually link the provincial capital, Nampula city, to Angoche. Nyusi regarded this road (N104) as key for regional and African integration.
The project is an extension of Lot I of the "Promote Transport" project, funded by the European Union, which includes the rehabilitation and maintenance of rural roads in Nampula and Zambézia provinces.
Works on the Angoche-Nametil road is budgeted at 48 million euros and will last 26 months. It includes areas of social responsibility such as the construction of schools and water supply sources in locations that have already been identified along the route.
The contract includes two years of maintenance of around 395 kilometres of dirt roads that will be served by two camps in Mucuali and Chalaua, both in the coastal district of Moma.
"This is a broader vision which expresses our commitment to linking the country from the Rovuma to the Maputo (the rivers marking the northern and southern boundaries of the country) and also to regional and continental integration', the president said.
Nyusi said that paving this section of the N104 will allow agricultural production to be transported, as well as enhancing and boosting the area's great tourist potential, which includes other coastal districts such as Moma, Larde and Liúpo.
"The paving of this road marks the attainment of a dream of several generations, not just in Angoche, but in the entire southern region of Nampula province, and completes the realization of the government's broader vision. We're going to make a safe and faster connection between the provincial capital, Nametil and Angoche, even in small cars', said Nyusi.
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In front of hundreds of people who filled the municipal football pitch, Nyusi pointed out that Angoche is an important centre of development, but is being neglected because of the poor state of the communication routes.
Duarte Graça, the European Union business delegate, said that he shared Mozambique's view that road infrastructures were fundamental to promoting connectivity and safe mobility.
"Connectivity is at the centre of sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and is the key concept of the EU's 'Global Gateway' investment package launched in 2021, which aims to create smart, sustainable and secure connections worldwide in the digital, energy and transport areas and to strengthen health and education systems around the world," he noted.
"Promote Transport" is a rural development programme focusing on the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula, with a total budget of 358 million euros and covering energy, agribusiness, nutrition, biodiversity, trade and transport.
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