Giving priority to bulk exports
may side-line general
and container traffic and is a
“somewhat limiting” approach
which could inhibit economic
growth in southern Mozambique
and the Maputo Corridor,
says Barbara Mommen, chief
executive officer at the Maputo
Corridor Logistics Initiative
(MCLI).
She was responding to
comments from a number of
shipping companies and agents
interviewed in the port of
Maputo by FTW.
They point out that container
volumes have nearly halved since
2010, while bulk exports are
growing exponentially.
This, she believes, may have
an impact on broader economic
development along the Maputo
Corridor.
“We have marketed the
corridor on the strength of the
multipurpose nature of the port
of Maputo, and this remains
its strength in its servicing of
the corridor hinterland,” says
Mommen
She is critical of what she calls
“a race of resources through
African ports”.
“The African Union is
promoting beneficiation and
manufacturing very strongly.
We should be encouraging the
likes of India and China to
invest in value-adding activities
in Swaziland and southern
Mozambique or along the
corridor, rather than exporting
raw materials.
“That is the only way we will
create sustainable jobs and
promote sustainable economic
growth,” she says.
CAPTION
Port of Maputo
