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Mozambique’s President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi commissioned the new Negomano-Roma road in Cabo Delgado province on 4 August.

Funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the US$70 million project involved the construction of 70km of road between the villages of Roma and Negomano, which connects to the Unity Bridge linking Mozambique and Tanzania. The work took 42 months to complete.

The Negomano-Roma link forms part of a wider US$170 million project to build 164km of road connecting Negomano to Mueda. Work on the Roma-Nambungale-Mueda sections is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2024. The work has been divided into two lots.

Lot A covers the 35km stretch between Roma and the village of Nambungale, while lot B covers the 58km section between Roma and Mueda. 

The scope of the Negomano-Mueda road project entails upgrading roads to bitumin standard, the construction of access roads, weighbridges and roadside stations, and the rehabilitation of social facilities such as schools and health centres alongside the roads. The development of a one-stop border post between Mozambique and Tanzania is also planned.

The aim is to make journeys to the port of Pemba in Cabo Delgado province and the port of Mtwara in Tanzania more direct, enhancing regional integration and trade opportunities for the 1.8 million people living in the area. 

Speaking at the Negomano-Roma road commissioning ceremony, Cesar Mba Abogo, AfDB country manager for Mozambique, said: "This road provides an opportunity for stronger economic cooperation and integration between Mozambique and Tanzania, and the entire SADC [Southern Africa Development Community].”

The new road has cut journey times between Negomano and Roma to less than one hour, from three to four hours previously.

Photo: Mozambique's president commissions the Negomano-Roma road (© AfDB)