Mozambique’s transport corridors: a growing trade network

September 11, 2024

By attracting investment and international know-how, and by serving as a platform for the development of value-added logistics services, Mozambique’s logistics corridors are becoming increasingly important support for Mozambique’s ambitions to become a regional logistics hub.

Mozambique’s three main logistics corridors – Beira, Nacala, and Maputo – serve as transport arteries for regional trade and are crucial infrastructure for the country’s blooming economic activity. Stretching from Mozambique’s three major ports to various neighbouring countries, they facilitate efficient transportation for goods en route to international markets.
Investments in port infrastructure, customs modernisation and corridor management are helping Mozambique establish itself as the preferred transit point for goods moving between Southern Africa and markets in Europe, the Middle East and beyond. In addition to positioning Mozambique as a key player in the global logistics landscape, transport corridors can be a mechanism for generating national revenue and creating employment opportunities.

MAPUTO CORRIDOR: The Maputo corridor stretches almost 600 kilometres and is a vital export route for mineral commodities extracted in Southern Africa’s mining belt such as magnetite, chromium ore and coal, a large share of which is shipped through a dedicated coal terminal at the Port of Matola.
As one of the shortest access points from this territory to the Far East, it also moves large volumes of agricultural and semi-manufactured products. Its importance has been recognised and supported by international institutions such as the Africa Development Bank, which in February 2024 approved a USD 40-million loan to CFM for the purchase of rolling stock along this line.

 

BEIRA CORRIDOR: In central Mozambique, the Beira corridor is the starting point for road, rail and pipeline connections to Southern Africa. It has historically been the lowest-cost outlet to the sea for Zimbabwe and Zambia and portions of Botswana, Zaire and Malawi, and it serves as a transit channel for agricultural commodities, Zimbabwean lithium exports and fuel imports.
Port operator Cornelder de Moçambique has been undertaking significant work towards expanding the port’s storage and handling capacity for seabound containers, and railway and logistics operator CFM will invest upwards of USD 10 million towards upgrading the port’s oil terminal.

NACALA CORRIDOR: The Port of Nacala ranks behind Maputo and Beira in cargo handling volumes, but it is considered one of the best natural harbours in Southeastern Africa, and it is in a privileged location to serve Indian Ocean trade. As such, some estimates expect movements along the Nacala corridor to experience steeper growth than those along other transit routes, with coal exports playing a protagonist role.
Road and rail improvements, together with one-stop crossings at the borders with Malawi and Zambia, will reduce transit times and lower transportation costs. Highlighting this corridor’s importance, in October 2023 Japan extended a soft loan of USD 249 million to finance the modernisation of Nacala corridor infrastructure and support the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity project.

Serving as the gateway to a dozen countries in Mozambique’s vast hinterland, a territory rich in natural resources and agricultural produce, and as an efficient platform for trade and logistics services, transport corridors are set to play a crucial role in Mozambique’s economic development for years to come and become invaluable assets for the Southern African Development Community.

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