Mozambique to concession Nacala port expansion and development project

Mozambique will concession the integrated expansion and development project of Nacala port in Nampula province, northern Mozambique, to maximise its capacity, the government announced following the approval of a decree authorising the international tender at Tuesday’s cabinet session. The resolution, which authorises the Ministry of Transport and Logistics to launch the international tender for the concession of the port’s expansion and modernisation works, was approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers in Maputo. “Nacala port, one of the main infrastructures of the Nacala corridor, currently has a capacity of 10 million tonnes per year, having handled 3.5 million tonnes in 2024, representing 35% of its capacity,” said Cabinet spokesperson Inocêncio Impissa.

The port has three terminals: a modern container terminal with a capacity of 252,000 containers, a general cargo terminal with 2.4 million tonnes per year, and a liquid terminal with 3.6 million tonnes per year. It also features a navigable channel over 18 metres deep, without requiring dredging. “Even with these characteristics, there is a need to further improve conditions for unrestricted operations,” explained Impissa, adding that the integrated port development project also foresees the optimisation and modernisation of the port and its terminals, the establishment of a special economic zone, dry ports to attract foreign investment and industries, and the construction of a floating dry dock and repair facilities.

During the same cabinet session, the government approved a resolution establishing the project implementation office for the Beira Development Corridor in central Mozambique. “This office aims to coordinate, facilitate, reduce bureaucracy, support and monitor the execution of strategic projects, including the construction of the access road to Beira port, the building of a dry port in Dondo district, and the construction of one-stop border posts in Machipanda and Massacatiza,” said Impissa. Nacala port is part of the infrastructure of the Nacala logistics corridor, with the Mozambican President highlighting in August last year its importance in connecting the country to neighbouring Malawi and Zambia, describing it as having “enormous potential” to stimulate trade in Africa.

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The Nacala corridor, operational since 2016, represents a US$4.5 billion investment involving Brazilian multinational Vale, then one of the owners, the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui, and the Mozambican public ports and rail company CFM. The project includes a deep-water port in Nacala linked to a 912-kilometre railway, through which coal extracted from the interior province of Tete is exported. In 2023, former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi inaugurated the new Nacala port infrastructure, considered “crucial” for landlocked Malawi and Zambia, and signed agreements with their governments to intensify the joint use of the Nacala logistics corridor, which connects all three countries through the port and associated logistics infrastructure.

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