Beira, Mozambique, 23 Aug – Zambian President Rupiah Banda has visited the Mozambican port of Beira to learn about the infrastructure capacities for channelling products to and from his country, Radio Moçambique reports.

Banda was accompanied on the visit by Mozambican Transport and Communications Minister Paulo Zucula. He said Zambia was interested in increasing the use of Mozambican maritime ports and that a railway already planned for that purpose would connect Zambia and Zimbabwe, with another to link Zambia and the Mozambican provinces of Tete and Nacala.

Zucula said in turn that the aim of Banda’s visit to the port of Beira was to see how the infrastructure worked so that ways to provide logistical development support could be studied with a view to ascertaining the feasibility of sustained use.

“Zambia began using the port of Beira some time ago but this was interrupted during the civil war. It currently uses it to move copper and sugar on the international market, among other products, and considers that it can be used much more to increase its volume of exports,” Zucula added.

To adjust client interests to the port concessionaire Cornelder de Moçambique, he indicated that an investment plan projected for the next five years would expand the container terminal.

Beira offers a much closer outlet for Zambian exports than the currently-used South African port of Durban, which obliges vehicles to travel 2381 km of road. (macauhub)