The launch of the largest housing and ecological project for Maputo province, called UXENE Smart City, was announced yesterday morning in Maputo at the Joaquim Chissano Conference Center.

This is an ambitious urban development project, the like of which has never been seen at national level, and is located along the ring road of greater Maputo.

"The project will be implemented in the Marracuene district in an area comprising 565 hectares with an estimated investment of 3.5 billion dollars over the next 15 years of construction," said Henriques Bettencourt, CEO of UXENE SMART City during the presentation of the project, which was attended by more than two hundred people.

The first phase of the project will start in May next year with initial capital of around 600 million dollars. "These investments come from various partners and investors, various real estate development companies, national and international partners," says Bettencourt.

The new citadel also provides for the installation of various infrastructures and services, including leisure spaces. "We'll have a private hospital, an ecological center, support infrastructure, in this case water supply and sanitation, an intermodal park, a logistics and economic activity park, a road with the network connecting the city, a university and sports center, among others," says the project manager.

The city is expected to accommodate 100,000 inhabitants and will significantly reduce the housing deficit in the greater Maputo area. Bettencourt also said that in the first phase the project will generate around 6,500 direct jobs and more than 20,000 indirect jobs, providing a modern, safe and sustainable lifestyle.

Future and inclusive project

More than just a housing project, UXENE Smart City is a new concept of a city within a city. "With this project we want to bring a housing solution that suits every social strata," says UXENE's CEO.

"Our concept of development in the housing component is controlled costs, with the main objective being to provide decent housing for everyone, regardless of their social status," he said.

"We are going to bring different architectural concepts, construction art that allows us to reduce the cost of construction and we guarantee that we will have the lowest minimum construction price in the Maputo region," adds the head of UXENE.

According to him, UXENE will have a technology that enables a more sustainable energy matrix.

Yes, "the project has included an investment in a solar farm, we're going to massively increase the use of solar panels in homes... we have a natural component of technological support infrastructures that allows us to bring connectivity," he explains.

"This means that we're going to have a connected city, a smarter city, a city that will bring a more sustainable, integrated and inclusive cost of living," he explains. The project will also be replicated in other regions nationwide.