• Reference: P-SZ-DB0-010
• Approval date: 17/12/2003
• Start date: 18/08/2004
• Appraisal Date:
• Status: On goingOnGo
• Location:
• Implementing Agency:

A Designer Piece to Behold

Road infrastructure is a key strategic development factor in Africa. A well designed road network is critical any country’s
 development. A good network does not only enable people to move freely, it also makes it possible to economic, social and environmental goods to urban and rural people.

This is so evident in the Mbabane Road By-Pass Project which serves as the hub of a network of roads linking different parts of Swaziland and Mbabane, the country’s capital, just as it provides links to neighbouring countries such, South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and Mozambique. But the single-lane by-pass was congested by heavy traffic and needed to be upgraded to a dual carriageway in order to eliminate transportation bottlenecks. The Bank has in the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Swaziland identified investing in infrastructure to improve productivity and competitiveness as a key area of priority intervention in the country.

Work commenced on the project in September 2004 for a contract period of 30 months with a US$ 59 million (UA 37.19 million) Bank loan. However the contract was extended to October 2009 due to difficulty in sourcing good quality construction materials and delays in resettling project-affected persons. This resulted in an increase in project costs by 152% financed by the government. Upon completion, the total cost of the project stands at US$ 138 million (UA86.78 million)

The project was designed to improve the quality of road transport services levels and reduce vehicle operating costs by diverting long-distance traffic along the Manzini-Mbabane-Ngwenya Corridor from the centre of Mbabane and reduce congestion and accidents.

The project involved upgrading the existing 5-km two-lane paved road and constructing a 6-km road to 50-mm thick asphalt concrete dual carriageway (2x3.7m lanes per direction) and 2-meter wide paved shoulders on each side of the 11-Km by-pass.

It was not all about straightening bottlenecks with concrete and steel. During construction, the project generated direct employment opportunities for some 250 people, 8% of them women. Indirect employment comprised the provision of goods and services for on-site workers. Direct beneficiaries were the transport industry, export/import operators, freight operators and Mbabane city residents. Project impact includes reduced congestion and therefore transport cost savings, reduced travel time and improved road safety.  The by-pass is also a strong enabler of regional integration as it now makes it possible for easy and free movement of goods and services in the country and within the Southern Africa Development community (SADCC) region.

People relocated from the area now live in well-charted and beautiful housing complexes within the road axis, which has enhanced the monumental magnificence of the entire architecture.

For the Bank, the Mbabane By-pass is not just another delivery of a good infrastructure project, but a monumental show-piece, a shining example of the outcomes of the institution’s focus on road infrastructure as the arrow-head of its continent-wide interventions.

Text written by Felix Njoku

KIGGUNDU Lawrence - OINF2

Finance source	Amount
ADB	UAC 32,449,330
Government	UAC 7,795,377
Delta	UAC 1,291
Total	UAC 40,245,998