Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique have signed a landmark agreement for the development of the new Techobanine deep-water port in Mozambique's Matutuine District and the Limpopo railway line.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and Mozambiquan President Filipe Nyusi discussed and signed the agreement during a tripartite summit in Maputo.
These two projects entail constructing a deep-water port and a railway line to connect the three countries. The tripartite agreement provides for clear commitments which will guide the next steps until the Techobanine Port integrated project is realised.
The project involves the construction of a deep-water port over 13 000 hectares, and of a 1200km-long railway line running across Zimbabwe, connecting Mozambique and Botswana. It is currently estimated to be worth around $1.5 billion and is forecast to boost cargo handling capacity of the three countries.
The African Development Bank will disburse between three to four million US dollars to finance a feasibility study for the Techobanine railway and port project.
The signing of the agreement follows the recently concluded eighth session of the Botswana/Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation, held in Maputo earlier this month.
Masisi and Nyusi are now expected to oversee the signing of memoranda of understanding and agreements on cooperation between the two countries in the areas of road infrastructure, agriculture, livestock, food security, as well as security and public order.
