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Prosper Ndlovu in Maputo, Mozambique

THE ambitious US$6,5 billion Techobanine Deep Water Port and Railway Line Project, initiated by Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana, has officially commenced following the signing of the Tripartite Agreement yesterday by President Mnangagwa and his counterparts, President Nyusi and President Mokgweetsi Masisi. 

The project holds the potential to unlock significant opportunities in transforming trade infrastructure within Southern Africa and enhancing transport and logistics efficiencies.

Businesses and individual citizens from the three States are expected to benefit immensely from the project. Its scope includes the rehabilitation and upgrading of the railway line linking Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, facilitating bulk cargo movement within the bloc and connecting it to global markets.

For Zimbabwe, in particular, the development entails critical investment in upgrading the country’s railway system to ensure smooth operability with regional peers, thereby expanding bulk cargo carriage capacity. Once complete, the Techobanine Port, set to be one of the largest capacity facilities in the region, is expected to significantly decongest and ease pressure on all regional ports.

President Mnangagwa, along with Presidents Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, presided over the signing ceremony with their relevant ministers during the Tripartite Ponta Techobanine Summit held in Mutuine District, south of Maputo. The Summit allowed the three Heads of State to devise mechanisms for the operationalisation of the Techobanine Port, reflecting their commitment to the project, which initially started as a private sector-led effort in 2011 but stalled due to lack of funding.

While the signing of the deal gives the green light for the three partners to harness funding from global financiers, President Mnangagwa stressed the need for proactive measures. He urged his counterparts not to rely solely on international institutions but to start mobilising domestic resources within the region to support the initiative.

As a demonstration of their commitment, the three leaders agreed that an urgent follow-up meeting must be convened before the Sadc Summit slated for next month. 

At this meeting, relevant ministries from the three countries must provide a comprehensive report on timelines, possible sources of funding, and a clear implementation strategy.

In a joint media briefing after the closed-door deliberations, President Mnangagwa stated that Zimbabwe is ready to play its part in fostering robust regional development.

“In fulfilment of previous agreements for Member States to contribute towards the feasibility study of the project, I expressed Zimbabwe’s readiness to fulfil its obligation, as an expression of our commitment to the ground-breaking trilateral project,” he said.

“The development of key infrastructure within our three countries is in sync with our National Development Strategy (NDS1) and Vision 2030, as well as regional and continental integration in fulfilment of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063,” said the President.

“During the Tripartite Summit, we underlined the need to further deepen economic co-operation as a way to overcome logistical bottlenecks in the transportation of goods and services.”

President Mnangagwa noted that yesterday’s Tripartite Summit was preceded by high-level visits among the three countries, as well as the Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in February this year, and the Zimbabwe-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission on Co-operation (JPCC) held in November 2021, which is now set to be upgraded into a BNC.

“During the deliberations, I also took the opportunity to apprise President Nyusi and President Masisi on the advanced progress made by Zimbabwe in preparation for the forthcoming Sadc Summit,” said President Mnangagwa.

“As the incoming chair of Sadc, I also took opportunity of the Tripartite Summit to re-affirm my commitment to work closely with all Sadc Heads of State in pursuit of our regional integration goals.”

In his remarks, President Nyusi highlighted the excellent political and diplomatic relations among the three countries. He expressed confidence that the mega project would be successfully implemented and have a positive impact on the entire region’s economy.

“The implementation of this project would improve transport infrastructure and integrate our transport system to facilitate trade and free movement of persons in line with our Sadc protocols,” he said.

President Masisi also expressed excitement about the progress in operationalising the Techobanine Port and railway line project, stating that the time has come for the world to witness these long-planned projects take shape.

“Our populations in the three states and the whole of Sadc are waiting for the success of this project, which is aligned to the AU Agenda 2063.

“We want prosperity for every Sadc country and this exemplifies that. The two projects are critical for value addition and have the potential to drive growth and interconnectedness of our people, goods and services.”

President Mnangagwa also commended President Nyusi for his exceptional leadership during his tenure as Mozambique leader in the last decade. He wished Mozambique and Botswana success in their forthcoming national elections.

Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa returned back home yesterday evening and was received by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, Cabinet Ministers, service chiefs and senior Government officials. He was accompanied by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Dr Frederick Shava, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Cde Felix Mhona and other senior Government officials.