The Japanese government plans to provide US$232 million, US$32 million of which as a donation, to Mozambique for reconstruction of the port of Nacala in the northern province of Nampula, said the outgoing Japanese ambassador, Eiji Hashimoto.

Total cost of repairing the Nacala deep water port is estimated at US$300 million and the two governments signed a financing agreement worth US$84 million last March.

The work, which includes repairing the northern jetty, paving the container terminal, installing the equipment to modernise fuel operations and building a new rail terminal, began this month and was awarded to Japanese company Penta – Ocean Construction Co Ltd.

According to the Mozambican press the ambassador said that, although he had visited all of Mozambique’s provinces, he had paid special attention to Nampula province, where Nacala is located and where the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had focused its efforts. (macauhub/MZ)