MALAWI and Mozambique reopened a railway that reconnects landlocked Malawi to an Indian Ocean port with a short and cheap route that civil war once made impassable. Presidents Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Bakili Muluzi of Malawi signed an agreement launching the Nacala Develepoment Corridor, as they have dubbed the road and railway linking Malawi to Mozambique’s northern port of Nacala. Malawi and Mozambique expect investments in the Nacala corridor to total about $900m. Apart from rebuilding the road and railway, the two nations also plan to promote the development of a wide range of businesses along the route, including mining, agriculture and tourism. Mozambique’s 16-year civil war brought traffic along the 800km route to a near halt. Before the war, about one-third of Malawi’s trade traveled along the route. Since 1984, movement along the corridor had slowed to a trickle and forced Malawi to use South African ports for 80% of its traffic. Traffic is already up with 76 000 tonnes shipped on the route between January and June this year. In addition, travel time is now down from seven hours to four. – AFP