Maputo, Mar 14 (IANS): The Mozambican government has announced that the World Bank will fund the rehabilitation of the country's National Road 1 (N1), a 10-year project covering 1,053 km out of the national highway's total stretch that is nearly 2,600 km.

The announcement was made in a statement by the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, which said on Monday that the aim of the rehabilitation is to improve road connectivity, safety, and climate resilience and to develop social inclusion in the project areas, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Surveys were carried out along the entire length of the N1, identifying sections in poor condition that point to the need for rehabilitation of 1,053 km," said the statement.

The World Bank has approved a total of $850 million for the three-phase rehabilitation, in which almost half of the amount will be invested in the first phase, covering 508 km in the centre and north of the country, according to the statement.

"The government and the financier, the World Bank, are making efforts for the works to start at the end of this year," said the statement.

As the largest highway in Mozambique, the N1 road crosses the country from north to south and has seen growing accidents in recent years due to poor road conditions.