TENDER FOR MUEDA/NEGOMANO ROAD THIS YEAR

The Mozambican government intends, before the end of this year, to lunch an international tender for the repair and tarring of the 100 kilometre road from Mueda to Negomano in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.It is expected that improvements to this road will lead to a greater flow of people and goods across the Unity Bridge over the Rovuma River between Mozambique and Tanzania. This bridge has been grossly underused since it was inaugurated six years ago.Cited by the Maputo daily “Noticias”, the Cabo Delgado director of public works, Dino Coutinho, put no figure on how much rehabilitating the road will cost. However, he said that the African Development Bank (ADB) has already guaranteed funds for the first 50 kilometres, while the government is attempting to mobilize additional funding for the remaining 50 kilometres.The Unity Bridge was a dream of the founding presidents of the two countries, Samora Machel of Mozambique and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. It was finally inaugurated by two later presidents, Armando Guebuza of Mozambique and Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, in 2010.The bridge cost 35 million US dollars, provided entirely from the Mozambican and Tanzanian state budget. But use of the bridge has been disappointingly low, largely because of the poor state of the Mueda/Negomano road. The intention to rehabilitate and tar the road has been announced on several occasions, but has always been postponed.