The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, said today that around three quarters of the country's roads are unpaved, during the general assembly of the African Road Funds Association.

Of the total 30,491 kilometers of classified roads in Mozambique, only "8,244 kilometers, 27%, are surfaced" and "22,247 kilometers, 73%, are not surfaced," said the head of state, during the opening of the 20th General Assembly of the Association of Road Maintenance Funds of Africa (ARMFA).

The meeting, which brings together 35 representatives of African road funds, began today and is due to run until Wednesday, under the slogan "Aligning Sustainable Financing with the Needs of the Road Sector in Africa".

Filipe Nyusi also mentioned the "low density of paved roads on the continent", noting that around 53% of Africa's roads are unpaved.

"The lack of a road network isolates people from transport corridors, connections to commercial centers, access to education and health, as well as economic opportunities," added Filipe Nyusi, quoted by Lusa.

Nyusi also said that the scenario affects 50% of the continent's rural population, who have no access to roads, as well as causing "congestion in urban areas, especially where the cross-border corridors converge".

"These situations stem, to a certain extent, from the poor maintenance of the existing roads," said the head of state.

During the three-day meeting, the Association of Road Funds of Africa is expected to reflect, among other things, on the prioritization of road maintenance, innovative financing mechanisms for the sector, as well as the development of partnerships for the financing of resilient infrastructures, the Mozambican Presidency said.

The association is a non-profit organization that serves to "share experiences and information on best practices for financing road maintenance" on the continent.