The Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Joao
Machatine, on Tuesday laid the first stone for the paving of the road from the
locality of Naguema to the beach resort of Chocas-Mar, in Mossuril district, in
the northern province of Nampula.The road is 40 kilometres long, and the work
should be completed within 24 months, at a cost of 416.6 million meticais
(about 6.8 million US dollars, at current exchange rates). The entire cost will
come from the Mozambican government’s own Road Fund.
“This job is part of the government’s five
year programme”, Machatine told the ceremony. In that programme, the government
had promised to pave 2,007 kilometres of roads, prioritising the roads that
will stimulate economic and social development.
“We looked at what are the priorities in
agriculture, energy and tourism, and this roads fits into the challenge the
government has set itself”, said Machatine. “We think that by building this
road we can take a quantitative and qualitative step forward in meeting the
targets to be achieved in the current five year period”.
Chocas-Mar is generally regarded as one of the
most beautiful beaches in Nampula. Machatine believed the road “will stimulate
tourism in Chocas-Mar, and also agriculture, since there is a great deal of
production in this area”.The existing, unpaved road is subject to flooding and
mudslides. In the rainy season the road has often suffered severe damage,
becoming impassable to traffic.“The project takes into account aspects of
resilience”, said the Minister, “so that, regardless of the levels of rainfall,
we will not have the problems we faced in the past”.
He added that a bridge over the Muecate river,
which collapsed in heavy rains last year, has been rebuilt. With the road and
the bridge, said Machatine, “we will have established conditions for this
region and this province to undergo development, because the potential now
exists”.
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