President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his counterparts from Zimbabwe and Mozambique last week signed an agreement to develop the long-awaited Ponto Techobanine port and railway project. The project, initially conceived at least 15 years ago with early cost estimates of more than $6 billion, involves upgrading existing rail lines, building new connections, and developing a deepwater port at Techobanine, south of Mozambique’s capital, Maputo. The port will also serve as a possible export route for South Africa and Eswatini.
Transport and Public Works minister, Eric Molale, told state television last week in Mozambique that the project was necessary for alternative port access for Botswana and other countries in the region.
