Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa December / Jan 2016 | Page 58

INVEST

Nampula

A modern transport hub
BY BRYAN WESTER

U

nlike many other Mozambican cities, Nampula,
is not located along the coast or a major river
leading to a thriving harbor. Nampula was
initially a small village until the Portuguese Colonial
Government moved the provincial seat from Ilha de
Mozambique to Nampula in 1935, with Nampula
officially being incorporated as a city in 1956.
With an estimated population of over 550,000
inhabitants, Nampula City is the capital of Nampula
Province and acts as one of the major centers of
regional commercial, banking and associated industry
hubs of Northern Mozambique.
The city, surrounded by rolling hills, granite domes,
and peaks is situated approximately 200 km inland
from the coast and acts as a critical point of accessibility
to the Northern region of Mozambique.

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DEC/JAN 2016 SA Real Estate Investor

The main railway line connecting Tete to Nacala
Port runs directly through this city, acting as a lifeline
for economic stimulation and industry.
Nampula boasts the Nampula International Airport,
which connects Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa,
as well as local cities such as Tete, Beira, Maputo,
Vilanculos and Pemba.
The Mozambican government, together with
international organizations, is in the process of
rehabilitating and upgrading Nampula’s infrastructure,
most notably due to the Nacala Development Corridor.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC),
meanwhile, has granted the Mozambican government
funds of US$507 million to repair and upgrade the
road connecting Loagonha to Nampula.
Additionally, another contract between MCC and
www.reimag.co.za