Government of Timor-Leste

The Minister of Public Works, Gastão de Sousa, and the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Alfredo Pires, held a ceremony on 25 January 2013 at the Timor Gap Conference Room to jointly sign the first phase of the highway construction project which will link Suai to Beacu in Viqueque district.

As per the plan, the highway will be 30,355 km long and 25m width, and will be built in four phases: the initial phase will be from Suai to Fatuk-Ai, the second from Fatuk-Ai to Betano, the third from Betano to Natarbora, and the fourth and last phase will be from Natarbora to Beacu.  The project is scheduled to be completed in 2017, as stated by the Minister for Public Works.

In accordance with the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, “the implementation of the project will not pose many difficulties because we make it a point that there should be a sound coordination of services. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources is committed to studying the existing needs, particularly insofar as the road linking the regions in the southern part of the country is concerned, taking into account the point where this project commences and where it ends.  The outcome of such study was handed over to the Ministry of Public Works, which is the entity responsible for the construction of roads all over the country, and with which we now collaborate based on sound coordination lines”.

“The construction of this project is important and reflects the efforts being made by the Timorese. The objective is to enhance agriculture in the southern coast of the country, considering the degree of fertility of its soil, plain and the dimension of the area. We have an opportunity to learn from other countries the manner in which infrastructures may enhance oil exploitation. If the infrastructures are well installed, they will bring lots of benefits and will constitute an incentive for attracting people to the Southern Cost”, Mr. Alfredo Pires concluded.