Bridging the logistics infrastructure gap

Maputo has a new landmark

– the Maputo-Catembe

bridge – which will be the longest

suspension bridge in Africa when

it opens in around a year’s time.

Once the bridge is open work

will start on the 30-year vision

of the Catembe urbanisation

masterplan, which will see

the development of a modern

and sustainable city divided

into residential, commercial,

industrial, logistics, tourism, and

green areas.

There will also be a new

logistics and tourism link between

Natal and Maputo following the

tarring and upgrading of the

120-kilometre road between

Maputo and the Mozambican

border with South Africa at Kosi

Bay/Ponto do Ouro border post.

In many ways the bridge and

planned Catembe city development

are a metaphor for Mozambique.

They are one of a kind in

Africa, they are ambitious, and

there does not seem to be any

coordinated drive to maximise the

opportunities they open up.

Starting with ambition –

Mozambique has no shortage of

grand plans and opportunities.

For the past decade

Mozambique has had one of the

fastest growing economies in the

world (7.4% average), but the gap

between the rich and poor has

not changed, and the country

ranks 181st out of 187 in the World

Human Development Index.

Despite the potential of

economic development

created by

the discovery of massive gas and

coal deposits and the agricultural

potential of the country, its score

dropped by 33% between 2015

and 2016.

Mozambique certainly has the

potential for inclusive economic

growth to transform the country

within a very short space of time.

Other natural resources

include bauxite,

titanium,

hydropower,

tantalum,

graphite and

fisheries. There

are plans for the

exploitation of all

of these resources, but the process

is long and challenging – not least

because of a lack of infrastructure

and mountains of red tape.

The bridge is perhaps the

most visible indication that the

country’s logistics infrastructure

is being upgraded. There

is substantial investment

in roads, rail, ports and

telecommunications.

But much more can be done

to tell the rest of the world that

Mozambique is a viable gateway

to neighbouring countries and its

own hinterland.

Part of the

problem is that some operators

are still pricing services as

though they are still a monopoly.

In fact, most of the corridors

and ports face stiff competition

from neighbouring Tanzania

and South Africa, as well as

Namibia on the other side of the

continent.

Another factor is that the

private and

public sector

stakeholders

in the logistics

sector do

not seem to

be working

together.

Here the bridge is an excellent

example. This year FTW asked

almost all the people we met

in Maputo to talk about the

elephant in the room – what

impact will the bridge have on the

port and the flow of goods?

Will it provide a road link

to Durban that replaces the

Maputo container terminal which

is in the shadow of the structure,

or will it attract cargo from

South Africa? Everyone

we spoke to

had (differing) opinions, but

clearly it is not being discussed at

industry-level.

Certainly, the new road

positions Maputo to serve

northern Natal and to provide

an alternative for Gauteng traffic

through Komatipoort.

But that will need a

coordinated effort on the part

of the Mozambican logistics

community (and its South

African counterparts) together

with customs on both sides of the

border.

If the new road is to be nothing

more than a tourism corridor

then there has to be a one-stop

border post, and South Africa

needs to match investment on its

side of the border.

The same story can be told

with the upgrade of the Beira-

Zimbabwe road, the Tete-Nacala

railway, and numerous other

upgrades.

The opportunities are there –

but not for those looking for

quick returns.

INSERT

7.4% The average growth of the Mozambican

economy over the past decade.

CAPTION

Joining the dots – a view of the bridge under construction from inside the port of Maputo.