• Flooding has damaged more than 5,000 km of roads across nine provinces
• A key highway linking Maputo to the rest of the country is currently unusable
• Recurrent climate shocks expose the fragility of Mozambique’s road network

Severe flooding in Mozambique over the past several days has damaged more than 5,000 km of roads across nine provinces, according to information released by the United Nations. Among the affected infrastructure is the main highway linking the capital, Maputo, to the rest of the country, which is currently impassable, complicating both the movement of people and supply chains.

The damage to the road network comes amid an already difficult situation marked by loss of life, population displacement, and a growing humanitarian alert. In several urban and peri-urban areas, local media report that fishing canoes are being used to reach neighborhoods where roads are completely submerged.

Beyond the immediate emergency, the floods once again highlight the vulnerability of Mozambique’s road infrastructure to recurrent climate shocks. The government is frequently forced to rebuild damaged roads instead of expanding the network, slowing efforts to improve connectivity and economic integration.

According to a World Bank study published in 2023 and cited by the African Development Bank in its report Climate Change Risks and Coping Strategies in Mozambique: The Role of Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, nearly 60% of the national road network lies in flood-prone areas. This vulnerability is compounded by low paving rates, with a large share of roads remaining unpaved. The average annual cost of climate events on the road network is estimated at about $160 million, equivalent to around 1.1% of GDP, while traffic disruption costs reach $139 million per year.

These economic losses are accompanied by a heavy human toll. The ongoing floods, which have also affected South Africa, are reported to have caused more than 150 deaths across the two countries, according to various sources. Located on Africa’s southeastern coast along the Indian Ocean, one of the world’s most active cyclone basins, Mozambique remains highly exposed to climate shocks, underscoring the urgency of investing in climate-resilient road infrastructure.

Henoc Dossa