Maputo, Mozambique, 7 July – Reconstruction of the Cuamba-Lichinga road (EN 13), in Mozambique’s NIassa province, is still awaiting the presentation of a feasibility study, required by the Government’s partners as a condition to fund it, Mozambican newspaper Notícias reported.

The paper said that despite being aware of the importance of the road, since 2007 the government had been working on drawing up a study requested by financiers, from whom a loan of at least US$60 million is required for the project.

Considered to be the most important road in Niasa province, the EN-13 stretches over 300 kilometres and links the port of Nacala to the rest of the country.

The Lichinga–Cuamba road is in a poor state of repair and this fact is used as an argument for raising the prices of food produced in the two provinces.

Currently temporary maintenance work is underway on some 150 kilometres of the road, work which is estimated to cost US$4 million provided by the Swedish International Development Agency.

Work began in April of last year was due to end in October of the same year, as there were delays to the contractor making the necessary equipment available and issues related to some omissions in the blueprints of the work to be carried out. (macauhub)