According to Africa Agency Network, the governments of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a regional railway line to link Francistown in Botswana to the Mozambican port of Techobanine, through Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe.
Once completed, the Port Techobanine Inter-Regional Heavy Haul Railway Project would facilitate inter-regional trade through the movement of passenger rail traffic and up to 12-million tonnes of goods per annum through the three countries.
Botswana’s minister of Minerals, Water and Energy, Kitso Mokaila, said the MoU that was signed in Bulawayo last Friday and committed each country to contribute $200-million towards the cost of the project. The rest of the work would be done through public-private-partnerships (PPPs), with the private sector taking the lead.
As part of the project, the small Mozambican port of Techobanine, which lies 70 km south of Maputo, would be upgraded to handle up to 200-million tonnes of diversified cargo, including passengers, annually.
