Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced on Monday that his government is negotiating with Zimbabwe to extend the Machipanda railway to Botswana.
The current railway runs from the central Mozambican port of Beira to Machipanda on the Zimbabwean border.
This extension is part of a tripartite project involving Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, which also includes the construction of a deep-water mineral port in southern Mozambique.
Nyusi revealed these plans during the inauguration of the doubled track on the Ressano Garcia line, which connects Maputo to South Africa.
“We are working with our brothers in Zimbabwe to link the Machipanda line to Botswana,” Nyusi said, promising further discussions between the three countries in the coming weeks.
On Monday, the Mozambique-Botswana Joint Cooperation Commission met in Maputo. Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo declared significant advances in bilateral cooperation.
The primary focus was the proposed deep-water port in Matutuine, a project dating back to the colonial period. Initially planned for Dobela Point, the port is now slated for Techobanine Point, with an estimated construction cost of $6.5 billion.
Macamo announced that a tripartite agreement will be signed in Maputo on Friday to facilitate negotiations on the Techobanine port.
She noted that the final discussions for the project would coincide with a high-level meeting between Presidents Nyusi and Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana on Wednesday.
The port will connect to Botswana via a 1,700-kilometer railway passing through Zimbabwe, primarily transporting Botswanan coal. However, there is considerable environmental opposition to the new mineral port.
Macamo emphasized the need for collaboration and resource mobilization for the project. “This project requires significant synergy, and now the three countries will work together to make it happen,” she said. Alongside the port project, memorandums of understanding in geology, mining, and metallurgy will be signed.
During President Masisi’s visit to Mozambique from July 10-12, the final negotiations and legal agreements will be concluded.
Macamo also expressed gratitude for Botswana’s support in combating Islamist terrorists in Cabo Delgado as part of the Southern African Development Community Military Mission to Mozambique (SAMIM).
Botswana’s Foreign Minister Lemogang Kwape affirmed his country’s continued support for Mozambique in fighting terrorism in Cabo Delgado, highlighting the historic and cooperative relationship between the two nations.
Kwape emphasized the importance of increased cooperation in facing current challenges such as climate change and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
