China Eximbank provides $300 million loan for Maputo Ring Road Project

On February 17, 2012, the Government of Mozambique signed a $300 million loan agreement with China Eximbank for the Maputo Ring Road Project. This loan agreement was then ratified by the Government of Mozambique’s Council of Ministers on February 28, 2012. The terms of this loan are unknown. The Maputo Ring Road Project involved the construction and upgrading of six road sections over 74 kilometers. In total, the project involved 52 kilometers of new road construction, 22 kilometers of road upgrading work, and the construction or rehabilitation of 6 bridges and 3 interchanges. It is a two-way four-lane highway with double asphalt concrete pavement and a design speed of 60–80 km per hour. It allows commuters to bypass the existing N1 and N4 road. It also includes tolls and sidewalks. China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the Maputo Development Corporation (Maputo-Sul) were the entities responsible for implementation. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 7, 2012 and a foundation stone laying ceremony took place on September 20, 2012. The project was originally expected to take 2 and a half years to execute. However, it encountered various delays and problems during implementation (including a strike by construction workers in 2014). The project was ultimately completed on December 29, 2015.

Additional details

The Portuguese project title is Projeto circular de Maputo or Projecto da Circular da Cidade de Maputo. The Chinese project title is 马普托环城路项目 or 马普托环城公路工程 or 马普托市环城路项目.

Number of official sources

18

Number of unofficial sources

12