What You Need to Know
Mozambique has highlighted the need for joint funding to address the challenges of road network construction and maintenance in Southern Africa. During a meeting in Maputo, officials emphasized the importance of private sector involvement and better financial management to ensure sustainable infrastructure development across the region.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique on Monday acknowledged challenges in financing road network construction in Southern Africa, calling for joint resource mobilisation to develop logistics corridors and greater private sector participation in their maintenance.
“The challenge of sustainable financing remains central. Investment needs continue to be high in a context where a significant portion of the region’s road network is still made up of unpaved roads, while there is also a marked accumulation of maintenance needs,” said Secretary of State for Transport Chinguane Mabote.
Speaking in Maputo at the opening of the Southern Africa focal group meeting of the African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA), the official called for greater coordination among the region’s road funds in mobilising resources for the development and maintenance of logistics corridors, arguing that this would ensure consistent service levels across transport chains linking countries.
“It is essential to consolidate and optimise traditional sources of financing, including fuel levies, road charges, tolls, vehicle circulation taxes and other instruments based on the user-pays principle,” Mabote said.
He added that financial management mechanisms must be strengthened through digitalisation to improve efficiency in the collection and allocation of available resources, urging road management bodies to ensure good governance, which is essential for maintaining road infrastructure.
“It is crucial to promote greater participation by users and the private sector in financing the maintenance and rehabilitation of road infrastructure, as well as to prepare road funds for emerging challenges from the energy transition, which may lead to a gradual reduction in traditional revenue sources,” he said.
For Mozambique, economic transformation in Southern Africa requires efficient, interconnected infrastructure capable of sustaining dynamic economies. The country noted that it has been strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries and regional bodies, aiming at the gradual integration of road networks and harmonisation of management procedures.
In this context, Mozambique wants institutions such as ARMFA and the Southern African National Roads Agencies (ASANRA) to play a more active role, contributing to stronger institutional capacity across the continent.
Mozambique has also launched a data portal on infrastructure, which Mabote described as “a significant step forward” in promoting accountability and transparency, as well as evidence-based management rather than “utopian approaches”.
At the same event, ARMFA Vice-President Ângelo Macuácua acknowledged challenges linked to rising fuel prices in managing the region’s road networks, noting that they create political and social pressure to reduce levies on fuel, thereby lowering revenue essential for infrastructure maintenance.
“On the other hand, consumption falls, reducing traffic and revenues from fuel and road charges. At the same time, the costs of construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of roads increase. We face a difficult equation: rising costs and declining revenues, which requires governments to carefully assess and calibrate measures to mitigate fuel price increases,” he said.
Macuácua also pointed to climate change as a challenge affecting the durability of infrastructure, undermining the financial sustainability of road funds.
The African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA) is a 35-member country association founded in 2003 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Its main objective is to form a platform and a network for experience and information sharing on best road maintenance practices in Africa, with the overall aim of ensuring Road Funds achieve sustainability in funding and functions.
Mozambique is hosting the ARMFA Southern Africa focal group’s ordinary meeting in Maputo from 13 to 16 April.
The African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA), established in 2003, aims to improve road maintenance practices across Africa. Mozambique’s call for enhanced cooperation and funding reflects ongoing challenges in maintaining road infrastructure, particularly in regions with high levels of unpaved roads and increasing maintenance needs. The country is working to integrate its road networks with those of its neighbors to support economic growth and development in Southern Africa.
As fuel prices rise and climate change impacts infrastructure durability, Mozambique’s focus on sustainable financing and private sector participation is critical for the future of its road networks. The ARMF
