Southern African countries work together on infrastructure rehabilitation

LEONARD NEILL AIRPORTS IN Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi are either to be developed or upgraded as part of a vast spatial development programme (SDI) to improve transport facilities lining these countries to ports in Tanzania and Mozambique. Project manager for the Mtwara Development Corridor, Wilfred Ali, says that these three countries, together with Zambia, are working with the support of the South African government. The plan is to develop and rehabilitate roads, lake ports, pipelines and air transport facilities for the benefit of the nations concerned. One portion of the project involves the development of the hinterland system, where roads and lake ports require attention. The other component of the corridor is the linking of the road, rail and pipeline modes in the development of a lakeshore transport system. Mozambique will benefit with the rehabilitation of Cobue, Malengula and Maponda ports in the northern sector of the country, as well as extensions to Pemba airport and the development of the planned Cabo Delgado province international airport. In Tanzania airports are to be upgraded at Mtwara, Mbeya and Songea, to allow for the handling of large scale cargo. The northern Malawi city of Mzuzu is to get a new airport to meet similar freight requirements. Other major projects in Tanzania are the Mtwara, Lindi and Kilwa port rehabilitation plans. All of these improvements will be of significance to South African manufacturers, who export goods to these regions, but often under difficult circumstances with ill-equipped or ageing handling systems.