The Port of Maputo is bidding to establish itself as a leading logistics and transshipment hub on Africa's east coast via an expansion plan and schemes for industrial development and value addition around the facility.
Sumeet Bhardwaj, CEO and managing director of Dubai-based port operator DP World in Mozambique's capital, said infrastructure upgrades that will enable larger vessels to dock will catalyse regional trade by unlocking more competitive freight rates and increasing throughput. This dovetails with the Mozambique government's own development vision to boost competitiveness by increasing the efficiency and value addition of its trade corridors with landlocked countries.
The company is engaging the government to set up special economic zones around the port to leverage its experience with similar facilities in Dubai, such as the Jebel Ali Free Zone. This was created in 1985 to service the nearby port, and is now one of the largest free zones in the world with more than 11,000 companies operating there.