Mozambique officially begins today to lead the focus group of the Association of Road Maintenance Funds in Africa (ARMFA), with the perspective of promoting the development of regional road corridors.
Thus, the country will coordinate the regional group, through the Road Fund, which currently has Angelo Macuácua as Chairman of the Board. The simple handover ceremony is scheduled for this morning in the city of Lusaka, capital of Zambia, the country that had been leading the body for the past two years.
Speaking yesterday Macuácua reiterated that the country will advocate the promotion of regional corridors as a way to minimize the current scenario in which a particular road is in perfect condition on one side and degraded on the other side of the border, hindering the interconnection that is desired at the level of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and even the continent as a whole.
The group that Mozambique officially leads as of today brings together nine countries in the region and the focus of the new leadership is to bring in the remaining member states not yet affiliated to the body.
As if to confirm the importance of the approach of improving regional roads and not only of each country, advocated by Mozambique, the World Bank Group approved, on Tuesday, 27.380 million U.S. dollars to finance a road connectivity project between Mozambique and Malawi and promote trade. Questioned about the initiative, Angelo Macuácua said it is an innovative project that looks at two countries and not one.
He explained that 110 million dollars will be applied in the country to improve secondary and tertiary roads to connect them to the Nacala Corridor, in addition to the rehabilitation of border crossings that link Mozambique with Malawi, Zambia and South Africa.
The funds are expected to become available around October, at which time the schedule of work on the ground can be drawn up. However, preparatory actions such as studies are already advanced, according to the source.
The election of Mozambique to head ARMFA’s SADC Focal Group took place at the end of March and this way the country becomes part of the Executive Council of the continental association that brings together 34 member states.
