Mozambique’s Airports Company, (ADM) said it wants to expand and improve the Quelimane airport in the central province of Zambezia, 1600 kilometres north of Maputo.

“ADM has issued a multimillion dollar tender to upgrade the Quelimane airport including the building of the new airport shops and office premises,” said ADM’s spokesperson Sandra Garcia in an interview adding that the construction is expected to take twelve months beginning January next year.

Mozambique which is one of the poorest countries in Africa wants to improve its infrastructure and attract more tourists and Garcia said they construction would start next year to meet their plans of serving tourists during the 2010 World Cup to take place in South Africa.

She said they have issued tenders and that the upgrade of the airport would boost the airport’s capacity to handle more passengers and cargo and allow it to accommodate the Boeing 737-200.

According to a Reuters report last week said the country is upgrading and improving the efficiency of its transport infrastructure in preparation for soccer’s 2010 FIFA World Cup in neighbouring South Africa.

The report further said Mozambique hopes to attract 150,000 tourists and fans during the tournament finals. Some 600,000 soccer fans from the 32 countries who will qualify for the event are expected to tour the southern African region.

The report also said ADM has awarded several contracts for refurbishment of airports in Maputo, Pemba and Vilancuclos to China’s Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation (AFECC).

The country expects to improve about 10 of its airports and that funding for the $75 million refurbishment of the Maputo International Airport was also sourced from China.