The government recently revealed that about 14 million dollars are being invested in the installation of tolls around the country as a mechanism to raise revenue for the maintenance and long life of national roads.

The project is part of the Self-Sustaining Road Maintenance Program (PROASME), which foresees the installation of 26 toll booths, eight of which will be upgraded and 18 new.

To guarantee the longevity of the roads, the Government defends the user-pays principle, in which the user contributes by paying a toll fee, whose value will be used to finance the expansion, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the road network.

This year more than a dozen toll booths should be put into operation in various parts of the country. Last December the Chicumbane toll road in the province of Gaza went into operation.

For the government, quoted by "Notícias", this exercise is part of the efforts to increase the number of kilometers of paved roads, which currently stands at eight thousand, with 22 thousand more to be paved. The users' participation is fundamental to reach the 30 thousand km of roads.

The Minister of Public Works and Housing, João Machatine, recently said that the prevailing challenge is the need to increase the kilometers of paved roads.

"The amounts that have been made available are about 70 billion meticais, representing only a third of the overall needs, and come from tax revenues, fuel taxes, road taxes, and credits and donations," said João Machatine.

Still, annual revenues from fuel taxes are about 4.2 billion meticais, compared to the 14.7 billion meticais needed, and fund only a third of maintenance needs.