Maputo — The Integrated Project for the Modernization and Expansion of Machipanda Border is budgeted at 37.2 million US dollars.
The One-Stop Border Post system will allow Mozambican and Zimbabwean border control agencies to operate under a single physical infrastructure, enabling joint inspections and stream-lined clearance procedures for passengers and freight.
Machipanda serves as the primary inland gateway along the Beira Corridor, linking Mozambique's central port of Beira to land-linked Zimbabwe and neighboring southern African markets. Currently, long queues of heavy goods vehicles cause delays at the border, driving up logistics costs for regional importers and exporters.
According to Izidine Opressa, director of Transport and Communications in Manica - speaking at a meeting that gathered local government officials, business leaders and transporters - the construction work is scheduled to begin next October, with full completion and handover targeted for 2029.
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The project will be implemented through a partnership between the Mozambican government and a consortium involving the Zimbabwean company Union Energy and the Chinese state-backed Zhongmei Engineering.
Welcoming the project presentation, the Administrator of Manica, Paulo Quembo, highlighted the economic opportunities the infrastructure will generate for the region.
Quembo also urged the contracted consortia to guarantee active participation for local entrepreneurs and youth throughout the construction phase.
Once operational, the modernized facility is expected to solve trade bottlenecks, accelerate cargo transit, and enhance the competitiveness of the Beira Corridor.
