The IDA, part of the World Bank, will use a USD 250 million grant to fund the system.
The International Development Association (IDA) will fund the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and associated facilities in Mozambique’s Maputo Metropolitan Area (MMA), covering the cities of Maputo, Matola and the town of Marracuene. The USD 250 million grant was approved by the World Bank in order to improve mobility and accessibility in the MMA. The project is expected to extend to the district of Boane.
IDA: Improving access to low-income neighborhoods
The IDA financing will also be used to rehabilitate streets and improve access to low-income neighborhoods via road upgrades and improvements to enhance safe access and build non-motorized transport infrastructure. It will also place the spotlight on mobility barriers for women and vulnerable groups.
“This project will ultimately contribute to expanding economic opportunities and social inclusion. A lack of access to jobs and services is a major constraint to urban economic productivity as it hinders the city’s competitiveness and is a critical element of social exclusion underpinning urban poverty,” said Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank Country Director for Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
Increased urbanization and motorization
In recent decades, economic development in the MMA has gone hand in hand with burgeoning urbanization and motorization, increasing the need for greater mobility of people and goods. The population of the MMA is anticipated to reach almost four million by 2035, posing an increased challenge to mobility in the region.
The current shortcomings of the transport system and the large distance between people and economic opportunities limit the potential for agglomeration economies linked to the concentration of population, firms, and markets. Low levels of access to job opportunities limit market opportunities for producers, impedes private sector investments by increasing costs and prevents links between markets.
An “engine for transformation”
“The project offers an integrated approach to respond to the urban mobility challenges of the MMA and to support the longer-term objectives of making the metropolitan area more competitive, greener and more resilient,” said Fatima Arroyo Arroyo, World Bank Senior Urban Transport Specialist and project lead.
“The MMA is now at a turning point to fulfill its potential as an engine for transformation of the country. We expect this operation will ultimately contribute to fostering changes in the way the city is growing from a congested, car-oriented city to a green, resilient, and people-oriented city, where walking and public transport are at the core of the metropolitan vision.”
The project is aligned with both the World Bank’s current and new Country Partnership Framework which is currently under preparation, in particular its focus to accelerate structural transformation and strengthen institutions for better service delivery and more sustainable development. It is also aligned with the Comprehensive Urban Transport Master Plan for Greater Maputo (2015-2035), the Maputo Municipality’s Municipal Development Plan (2019-2023) and the Safer Roads for Socioeconomic Integration in Mozambique Project.