Mozambique: Government creates North–South Railway Line Coordination Office

The Mozambican government has decided to establish the North–South Railway Line Office (Gabinete da Linha Ferroviária Norte-Su-GLFNS), an entity whose mission will be to coordinate the project for the construction of the future railway infrastructure that is expected to link the country continuously. According to him, the railway interconnection aims to establish an efficient link between strategic agricultural, industrial, mining and tourism production hubs. In addition to strengthening national unity, the future line is also expected to contribute to regional integration within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

“There is already infrastructure in the country: one that links almost the entire northern corridor, another in the central corridor and another in the southern corridor. However, the three infrastructures are not interconnected,” he said. For this reason, new sections will be built to connect the south–centre and centre–north segments, covering points defined by the Executive as strategic in terms of productive capacity.

“Fortunately, there is already an initial base to work on,” added Impissa, stressing that the country has repeatedly faced connection problems between the north and the south. Among the main responsibilities of the GLFNS is the coordination of all phases of the project, including technical, economic and financial feasibility studies; the mobilisation and structuring of financing; as well as the attraction of strategic investors. The newly established Office will also be responsible for ensuring the preparation and updating of environmental and social impact studies, as well as for managing public tenders for the selection of consultants, contractors and development partners. The GLFNS will also provide technical advice to the Executive and ensure that the project complies with all legal, environmental and social standards.