Aid payment delay hits road repair project

The unannounced halt in payments of funding for work to repair the Malema-Cuamba road in Mozambique may prevent the project from being concluded within the deadline, according to daily newspaper Notícias. The contract to repair the 144 kilometre section of road between the Malema district in Nampula province and the city of Cuamba, in the neighbouring province of Niassa, is expected to cost US$62.6 million, which is to be paid out by financial institutions and international aid partners. At a meeting held a few days ago between the contractor, Portuguese company Gabriel Couto, and the governor of Nampula province, it came to light that the African Development Bank, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the South Korean Export Import Bank (ExIm) were not providing the funds within the pre-approved schedule.