Alfred Moselakgomo

Alfred Moselakgomo

Mpumalanga premier Thabang Makwetla will today launch one of the province's "big five" flagship projects, the Maputo Development Corridor.

Regarded as one of the largest spatial investment initiatives in Southern Africa, the corridor links the Maputo harbour to Mpumalanga and Gauteng by road.

The initiative aims to enhance the economic potential of the Maputo Development Corridor and to make an impact in support of the government's efforts to grow the regional economy.

The provincial government recently commissioned a study on behalf of all the municipalities along the N4 road corridor to unlock the competitive edge of each municipality, taking advantage of the available funds and specialist project management unit established to fast track projects and investment opportunities.

The launch takes place just weeks after the province signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Maputo province to maximize investment opportunities along the corridor, and to increase South Africa's economic cooperation within the region.

Government spokesman, Ntime Skosana, said among other sub-projects of the Maputo Development Corridor, which will be unveiled, are a food technology centre, a tourism info centre at the Lebombo border post, truck stops and rest areas along the N4, an English-Portuguese Language Institute, a freight and logistics call centre and a new financing model for community based projects along the corridor.