The Zambian government is in talks with development partners, including the World Bank, to help it finance the feasibility study for the Chipata to Serenje Railway Project.
Transport and Logistics Minister Frank Tayali disclosed that the railway project will eventually connect to the Chipata–Mchinji Railway Line in Malawi, linking to Nacala along Africa’s eastern seaboard.
Speaking in Italy, Tayali disclosed that Mozambique has granted Zambia land for a dry port in Nacala. Tayali said the state-owned logistics, ZamCargo, will administer the operations of the dry port in Mozambique, as it currently does in Namibia and Tanzania.
The Zambian government, which took over the running of the dry port at Walvis Bay in August 2023 from a private company, plans to develop the dry port into a modern facility that will enhance imports and exports as part of the government’s desire for the development of the Walvis Bay–Ndola–Lubumbashi Corridor.
Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Matlombe, also speaking in Italy, said a Mozambique technical team will work with Zambian counterparts to ensure the formalisation of the Nacala dry port project is treated with urgency. Matlombe said Mozambique is ready to allocate land in Nacala to Zambia, and that it will be titled to avoid any form of encumbrances.
The railway line is expected to link Zambia’s main rail network with the Malawian line through the Chipata–Mchinji railway line. This will provide the shortest route of 1,500 kilometres to the sea from Kapiri-Mposhi.
This extension is intended to create a link with the Tazara Railway, a significant railway network that connects Zambia with Tanzania. Past estimates had put the cost of the project at US$2.3 billion, with the project expected to create 8,000 jobs.
Zambia Railways has stated that the railway line will provide effective bulk transportation to the mining, energy, and agricultural sectors among Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The railway line is meant to provide an alternative trade route to the East Coast of Africa via the Port of Nacala in Mozambique.
In October 2023, the presidents of Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique attended the inauguration of the upgraded and expanded Port of Nacala. During this ceremony, held in Mozambique, the leaders signed the Nacala Corridor Development Agreements.
The Nacala Corridor spans 1,150 kilometres from Chipata to the Port of Nacala. The port can handle four million tonnes of container cargo, 2.4 million tonnes of general cargo, and 3.6 million tonnes of liquid cargo at its three terminals.
Written by Chamwe Kaira
