The Maputo Development Corridor (MDC) in southern Mozambique has been highlighted in an African Development Bank (AfDB) report as the “most successful regional interconnection initiative in sub-Saharan Africa”.
In its African Economic Outlook – 2015 report, the AfDB commented: “The MDC, as one of the first initiatives of this kind in sub-Saharan Africa, is nowadays often referred to as the most successful, based on a rail and road link between Maputo and the provinces of Mpumalanga and Gauteng in South Africa, and providing Swaziland with an alternative to the port of Durban.”
According to the AfDB, the main “anchor” of this project was the US$1 billion aluminium smelter, Mozal, a project deployed on the outskirts of Maputo – the first major industrial project in the country.
To date, the MDC has received investments of about US$2.8 billion, and accounts for 42% of the country’s entire export revenue. (in Freigh & Trade Weekly)
