Maputo, Nov. 1, 2024 (Lusa) - Mozambique's president on Friday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the jetty on Inhaca Island, Maputo. The jetty is considered the "largest in the world" and almost a kilometre long. The president considers it a "gift" for the 50th anniversary of independence in 2025.
"I believe that in the next cycle, within 12 months, [the next President] will have to come and hand over this infrastructure as a gift for our 50 years of independence, which will be next year, 2025. It's a good gift. KaNyaka [or Inhaca] needed 50 years to have a bridge and it will", declared Filipe Nyusi, during the groundbreaking ceremony on the island.
The construction of the jetty bridge is valued at 13.5 million dollars (12.4 million euros) and should increase tourism, trade and research on the island of Inhaca, said the head of state, stressing that it will be the "longest jetty bridge in the world", with a length of almost a kilometre.
"As everyone knows, Inhaca Island is a centre for biodiversity research. Our bridge will be a safe and fast means of facilitating the movement of researchers and investigators," said the President.
Situated at the entrance to Maputo Bay in southern Mozambique, Inhaca is one of the province's main tourist attractions. However, due to the limited maritime transport on offer and the attraction conditions, the connection between the island and the city is still poor.
Filipe Nyusi also invited economic agents to explore and invest in Inhaca, highlighting the island's tourist potential, which he calls for preservation.
"This jetty will simultaneously preserve the natural and cultural heritage that makes Inhaca a unique and special island. The city of Maputo will now have two attractions, in this particular case in terms of internationally recognised crossings. I'm referring to the (...) Maputo-Katembe suspension bridge [built by the same Chinese company that has taken over this work as of today] and now the largest quay bridge in the world, the KaNyaka quay bridge," added the Mozambican head of state.
According to data from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the aim is to replace the jetty on KaNyaka Island with a new structure that will, among other things, accommodate passengers and an emergency vehicle of up to five tonnes in any type of tide, a situation that does not currently exist.
That island, a few minutes from the capital, is home to more than 6,000 people and is administratively integrated into the city of Maputo.
The infrastructure aims to place Inhaca Island among the city's tourist centres by improving accessibility.
Sociedade de Desenvolvimento do Porto de Maputo (MPDC), the concessionaire for the capital's port, will provide part of the funding for this project as part of the extension of the concession contract until 2058.
This is a $15 million (€13.8 million) package, out of the almost €2 billion invested in the port expansion, earmarked for six social projects to be supported by MPDC, including this jetty.
LN/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
