Government lethargy holds back Moz port upgrades

Mozambique may be the third poorest country in the world but its coal and gas finds have made it an attractive investment destination. And developing its port infrastructure is not only a necessity but a priority. According to Dr Andrew Shaw, an associate director with Pricewaterhousecoopers (PWC) transport, infrastructure investment to the tune of $17 million is planned which will largely connect the mining and agricultural clusters to the export ports. The projects have however been hampered by serious delays. Shaw said a major challenge in addressing the infrastructure shortfalls was the fact that government decisions still took a long time, hampering the implementation of projects that could see improved port infrastructure. “There is no denying that there is a significant need to upgrade and improve the rail network and ports while at the same time connecting them all,” he said. The country, also representing a natural entry point for its landlocked neighbours to the west, was still frequently by-passed. Better port infrastructure would go a long way in addressing this. According to Shaw another southern African country that needs to rehabilitate and upgrade its port infrastructure is Angola. “It is the third largest African economy, with oil accounting for 98% of revenue,” he said. “While we have seen improvements in customs, the logistics performance remains weak thanks to congestion at the ports and very long waiting times.” There are port expansion plans in the pipeline but these have yet to take off. He said with ports remaining the most important entry and exit points for cargo on the continent it was important that upgrading them was high on government agendas. Last year two new cranes were installed at the Port of Luanda which significantly improved the turnaround time of vessels. The port has also invested heavily in training of staff. CAPTION The Port of Luanda... new cranes speeding up turnaround.