Thus, the first toll could come into operation this year, in the province of Cunene, while the second toll is scheduled for the first half of next year, in the province of Cuanza Norte.
"In the area of tolls, the first group of companies that will manage the Santa Clara toll, in the province of Cunene, is in the hiring phase, a process resulting from a public tender that should be concluded in the next six months, with operations expected to begin in October 2025, connecting Angola to Namibia", explains a government statement, to which VerAngola had access.
As for the second toll, the Executive says that it will be located on National Road (EN) 230, in Cuanza Norte, more specifically in the Zenza do Itombe region.
"The second toll, located on National Road 230, Cuanza Norte province, Zenza do Itombe region, is scheduled for the first half of 2026, and will be implemented through a public-private partnership. This infrastructure will allow traffic regulation on both the EN 230 and the EN 120", reads the note.
In statements after the first ordinary session of the National Council for Roads and Traffic Management (CNVOT), held this Wednesday and chaired by Vice-President Esperança da Costa, the Minister of Public Works clarified that with the toll and scales program they have the capacity to "control excess loads" on the roads.
"With this, we are able, on the one hand, to control excess loads. Today, we still saw a very large volume of loads on our roads and the scales programme essentially aims to regulate this weight control", pointed out Carlos dos Santos, who also mentioned that there will be "initially a phase of awareness and consciousness-raising, followed by a fines regime to discipline road users".
"The full program foresees 21 tolls by 2027, with priority given to border areas, including Cabinda province (Massabi and Yema), Zaire province (Luvo and Noqui), Cunene province (Santa Clara) and Moxico Leste province (Luau)," the statement reads, adding that "the only non-border toll in this first phase will be on the EN 230, which covers Luanda, Icolo and Bengo, Cuanza Norte, Malanje, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul and Moxico Leste".
Regarding the amounts to be charged at tolls, the head of the Public Works, Urban Planning and Housing portfolio said that "work is underway with bilateral commissions, involving neighboring countries such as Namibia, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to ensure reciprocity in prices".
At the CNVOT meeting, the "delivery of approximately 625 kilometers of roads and 13 bridges on National Highway 230, on the Malanje-Saurimo stretch, totaling more than a thousand linear meters of structures, which will allow for more fluid circulation in the country" was highlighted.
Thus, with "this greater structuring of the road network", the CNVOT recommended that the "toll and scales program be considered an essential element for the conservation of the road infrastructure".
