Beira Corridor Project

 Mozambique's Beira corridor constitutes the main transport access link between the port of Beira and the interior of the country as well as to the neighbouring landlocked Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. As an important gateway for cargo transport in the region, an extensive refurbishment of the corridor infrastructure was undertaken in the 1980's and 1990's. However, the improvements have not been maintained, and the port and its access constitute a major bottleneck for regional transport and trade.  A rehabilitation of the transport infrastructure of the Beira corridor, including the rehabilitation of the Sena railway line and the restoration of the Beira port access channel to its original design characteristics is currently been undertaken. 

The EIB co-finances this project through long-term loans, subsidised by an ITF Grant. Due to the HIPC rules, Mozambique must respect a concessionality level of 35% in borrowing therefore the interest rate subsidy from the ITF is critical for the materialization of the investments. The Beira Corridor project is emblematic for Mozambique as it will allow the reopening of the Sena railway line, closed for over 20 years due to the civil war. The cost of the entire project is estimated at about EUR 190m; the works have started in December 2008 and should be finished by mid 2011.  The strengthening and refurbishment of the existing 3.75km bridge over the Zambezi river at Dona Ana have been completed.  

The subsidy granted to the project by the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund highlights the project's strategic importance and its regional positive impact on the transport links across Southern Africa.