Milange-Mocuba road to success

The aim of this road project, funded by the EU and implemented by the Government of Mozambique, is to improve the country's rural infrastructure by upgrading the 190-km of road between Milange and Mocuba.

More than just a road - this project has opened up areas of significant agricultural production along the Milange-Mocuba corridor. Giving access to markets, promoting economic and social development, enhancing regional integration and reducing poverty.

Context

The Milange-Mocuba Corridor is a fertile agricultural region which so far has had little share in Mozambique's recent economic growth because it lacks good transport infrastructure. A Participative Poverty Study conducted in Mozambique back in 1995 concluded that the number one priority of "the poorest of the poor" was not healthcare or education, but a road they could use all year round. The explanation was simple. If you have a road, you can travel. And if you can travel you can access markets where the prices of agricultural products are higher and consumer goods are less expensive.

Impact

Approximately 1.4 million Mozambicans, living in the bordering districts of the corridor, will benefit from better rural and highway transport that will allow farmers to market their produce more profitably, encourage investors to create employment opportunities in the corridor, and allow its inhabitants to travel and access healthcare and education opportunities more easily.

The first phase was completed in August 2013 and upgraded from gravel to pavement standard over the 80-km stretch of the N11 from Mocuba to Alto Benfica.

The second phase connecting Milange to Alto Benfica, upgraded the 110 km highway, upgraded two bridges and saw the new construction of two further bridges at Mutuasse and Namilate which had been damaged by the 2015 floods.

Funding instrument

European Development Fund (EDF)

Implementing organisations

Government of Mozambique, Mota-Engil - Engenharia e Construção SA, Nicholas O'Dwyer Ltd