Mine/UXO Clearance

Executive Summary: The Impact of Demining the Sena Rail Line

Thanks, in part, to a series of economic reforms undertaken by the Mozambique government, the Mozambique economy achieved double-digit growth rates during the late 1990s. But the country and the people still have a long way to go to achieve economic stability and prosperity. The majority of Mozambicans have not benefited from the recent expansion as the lion share of new employment opportunities are located in and around the capital, Maputo. Seven in ten Mozambicans still live in a state of poverty. A major reason for this disequilibrium is the fact that the region around Maputo is the only area where sufficient infrastructure exists for real development to occur.

The international community and the Mozambique government are trying to remedy the situation by budgeting millions of dollars on infrastructure projects to coincide with key agricultural and industrial investments. The solution to the problem, however, is not easily solved with money alone as a key problem in the development and reconstruction of Mozambique's transport systems remains the existence of landmines.

Although a large portion of Mozambique's infrastructure is still damaged and/or infested with landmines, the key piece of infrastructure is the Sena Railway since a majority of Mozambique's valuable resources lie in its path. The Sena runs northwest from the port of Beira through the forests and national parks of Sofala, branches off into the rich agriculture land of Zambezia, and proceeds to the mineral resources of Tete. The potential of the region is staggering by any standard but it will only remain potential until the landmines are removed and the Sena Railway is fully rehabilitated. Below are a few examples of how the Sena will allow the region to reach its potential:

• Coal mines in the Tete province remain closed as there is currently no viable way to transport the coal to markets. This arid, dry province relies almost entirely on their rich mineral resources and desperately needs the thousands of jobs that will be created when the Sena is reopened and mining resumes.
• Cotton, Sugar, and other agricultural products from the Zambezia River Basin are unable to be transported out of the region. Small and large farmers are waiting for the opportunity to finally take advantage of this province's enormous potential but cannot without the Sena.
• Numerous small farmers and businesses, vital to their community, stand to gain considerably from the Sena Railway. The town of Dondo in Sofala Province relies on a cement factory as the major source of employment. The viability of the factory is threatened by a lack of inputs, mainly limestone. The Sena Railway, however, will easily solve this problem as it lies near the factory and a nearby limestone quarry.
• Without the Sena, trade with Zambia and Malawi have literally been cut off. Also, all of Mozambique's top export commodities are grown and processed along the Sena (cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, coconuts, copra, and timber) and are unable to be transported to domestic or foreign markets resulting in thousands of lost jobs and millions in lost export revenues.

There is a noticeable direct and immediate benefit from the U.S. Demining Program in Mozambique. RONCO currently employs 104 Mozambican personnel, making RONCO the 3rd largest employer in Sofala Province (where operations are currently located). All employees are well paid by local standards due to the nature of their job. In total, local salaries amount to approximately $33,000 per month, which is a significant amount of money being generated through the local economy. From the local currency dealer to the small shops that follow the operation to the new stores near the deminer's homes, there are a lot of Mozambicans benefiting from the RONCO operation. This includes a very visual upturn in the standard of living that can be seen amongst the families of the RONCO Mozambican workers. In addition, RONCO itself, with procurement of local resources like fuel, housing, vehicle spare parts and other commodities required to run the demining operation contribute, on average, $35,000 to the local economy on a monthly basis.

Map of the Sena Railway

The Red and Blue Tracks Represent the Sena Railway. Red indicates track heavily infested with mines. Blue indicates track with lesser, although significant, mine infestation.