Construction of a new one-stop border post at Mozambique’s main land crossing with South Africa has begun as part of a 980-million-metical project aimed at reducing truck clearance times and boosting regional trade.
Mozambique’s Ministry of Transport and Logistics said on Thursday that work was progressing at the Ressano Garcia border post in Maputo province where existing facilities are being expanded and modernised to integrate customs and immigration procedures and improve traffic flow.
“The project involves an investment of around 980 million meticais [about US$15.2 million] to rehabilitate and expand the facilities, with the aim of making the movement of people and goods between Mozambique and South Africa more efficient,” the ministry said in a statement.
The project includes the rehabilitation and expansion of border infrastructure, construction of six traffic lanes and the digitisation of operational systems to streamline the movement of people and goods between the two countries.
Authorities expect the upgrade to significantly reduce delays at one of Southern Africa’s busiest trade gateways.
“The aim is to reduce transit times for trucks carrying minerals from the current 45 minutes to one hour to around five minutes,” the ministry said.
“For general goods, the target is to achieve waiting times of up to 30 minutes, depending on the nature of the cargo and the applicable control procedures.”
The ministry said the modernisation programme would introduce automated procedures and integrate information systems used by border agencies, reducing duplication, improving information-sharing and enhancing cargo traceability.
Officials believe the reforms will lower logistics costs, improve the predictability of transport operations and increase the efficiency of freight movement along a strategic trade corridor linking Mozambique’s ports with South Africa and the wider region.
Ressano Garcia, situated on the Mozambique-South Africa border opposite Komatipoort, serves as a critical gateway for trade between the two countries and is a key link in the Maputo Development Corridor, one of southern Africa’s most important transport and logistics routes.
The corridor facilitates the movement of minerals, agricultural products, manufactured goods and other cargo between South Africa’s industrial heartland and the Port of Maputo.
The one-stop border post model is designed to allow travellers and cargo operators to complete border formalities through coordinated procedures, reducing the need for separate inspections and repetitive documentation checks on either side of the border.
The Ressano Garcia border post is operated under a concession held by Gestão de Terminais e Serviços Aduaneiros, which is responsible for financing the investment, while matters relating to national sovereignty remain under the authority of the Mozambican state.
JN/APA