Against this backdrop, activities at the Port of Maputo have grown rapidly over the past 2 decades, with traffic rising from 5 million tonnes in 2003 to 31.2 million tonnes in 2023.

On February 23, the consortium led by DP World signed a final agreement with the State of Mozambique to extend the operating contract for the Port of Maputo for a further 25 years. The contract amendment approved in January extends the concession until 2058, in return for a USD 2 billion investment to increase the complex's capacity.

Among other spin-offs, the concession extension is expected to generate "direct benefits for the national economy, including more than 8 billion USD in rents, dividends and direct taxes", according to the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Amilton Alissone.

In operational terms, the upgrading of infrastructure and equipment should enable the port's current capacity to be increased from 37 million tonnes to 54 million tonnes per annum by 2058. Container terminal facilities will also be upgraded to handle 1 million TEUs, compared with the current 270,000 TEUs.

Once completed, the port extension will complement the numerous investments underway to develop secondary ports (Beira, Nacala) and railroads, with the aim of transforming the country into a strategic logistics hub for the region, to the benefit of South African mining companies and landlocked neighboring states such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.

Agence Ecofin