Maputo — Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday launched the dredging works for Maputo Port access channel, a project budgeted at 150 million US dollars.

This project - deepen the access channel to allow the entry of larger vessels and improve the efficiency of port operations, thereby boosting cargo handling capacity and strengthening Mozambique's links to regional and international markets - which is aimed at are part of an investment program worth approximately two billion dollars aimed at expanding and modernizing port infrastructure.

According to Chapo, the dredging is part of the government's strategy to develop ports and transport corridors to drive production, industrialization, and the diversification of the national economy.

"Our challenge is to transform geography into economy and strategic location into competitiveness. the Port of Maputo has seen investments in infrastructure expansion, including work on the container terminal, managed by DP World, and investments in the Matola coal terminal, as well as other facilities for handling minerals and general cargo", he said.

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The dredging project is intended to complement onshore infrastructure expansion by improving maritime access conditions for larger ships.

In 2025, the Port of Maputo handled approximately 32 million tons of cargo, according to data presented by the President.

Chapo argued that ports and transport corridors should contribute to the development of domestic productive activities, beyond merely facilitating the transit of goods destined for foreign markets.

"Our corridors cannot simply be channels through which wealth passes. They must be corridors where wealth is produced, transformed, retained, and distributed", he said.

Chapo also highlighted the regional significance of the Port of Maputo, which serves the Mozambican economy and connects industrial and production centers in South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and other countries in the region to international markets.

The President also noted the launch, in July of this year, of the first Maputo Port Community System, designed to improve information flow and the efficiency of procedures related to the movement of goods.

"We want cargo to move efficiently within the port, as well as after unloading at the quay, and across rail, road, and border networks," he stated.

Chapo further argued that infrastructure investments must be accompanied by the digitalization of services and the interoperability of systems used by the institutions involved in logistics operations.