Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana are planning to build a tripartite rail project.

This will witness the extension of a railway line into central Botswana as part of a tripartite project.

Also under the project is the construction of a new deepwater mineral port in southern Mozambique.

This is aimed at exploiting Botswana’s major coal reserves.

Key Details:
?Participants: Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.

?Recent Developments:
-Joint refurbishment of a 10km railway line from Machipanda to Mutare (May).
-Upgrade of Beira-Machipanda railway line (cost: US$200 million) commissioned in November.

?Port Location: Techobanine, southern Mozambique.

?Railway Link: 1,700 km long, connecting the port to Botswana via Zimbabwe.

?Expected Cargo: Botswana coal.

Bilateral and Tripartite Meetings:
?Recent meetings held in Maputo with further discussions scheduled.
?Tripartite agreement to be signed in Maputo on Friday.

?High-level meeting between Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Additional Agreements:
?Memorandums of understanding in geology, mining, and metallurgy to be signed.

?Discussions to be finalized during President Masisi’s visit to Mozambique (July 10-12).

Infrastructure Goals:
?Operational railway line from Machipanda to Mutare within three months.

?Train services from Beira to Harare to commence soon.

Zim Economic Review