Moz tip countries to upgrade road, rail networks

Sales and marketing manager for Cornelder at the port of Beira in Mozambique, Felix Jaime Machado has urged countries using the port to improve their road and rail networks for fast and reliable deliveries of goods and services.

Machado said this on Wednesday during a business journalist’s media tour organised by the National Bank of Malawi (NBM) and the Association of Business Journalists (ABJ).

He said poor rail and road infrastructure contribute to the slow operations at the port.

“There is need for governments to improve these things because they affect operations. There is also need to upgrade them, instead of sticking to the dream of using 80 percent rail and 20 percent road networks,” he said.

Machado said as a result of overusing the roads, the network is not good as and it makes travelling difficult.

He said improved rail and road infrastructure will consolidate the strategic advantages of the Beira Corridor and its port as the nearest and cheapest channel to and from the world markets for neighbouring States of Mozambique.

Beira Port, apart from Mozambique connects four countries of Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the Sadc bloc to the rest of the world.

Malawi’s goods currently being handled at Beira Port include fertiliser for the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp), drugs and
other cargo for Malawi’s private sector.