Park Warden for Maputo National Park nominated for Tusk Conservation Awards 2022

Miguel Goncalves, Park Warden for Maputo National Park – that is co-managed by the National Administration for Conservation Areas and Peace Parks Foundation – has been nominated for the prestigious Tusk Conservation Awards 2022.

Miguel has worked within the Maputo National Park since 1999, becoming Park Warden in 2008. Under Miguel’s inspirational leadership across the last 12 years, the park has changed dramatically from a free-for-all hunting ground to a landscape able to support thriving populations of wildlife and recovering ecosystems, both in the ocean and on land.

His drive and passion, combined with a deep knowledge of his local area, has enabled him to become a leader and advocate for community conservation and education across borders and cultures.

Beira: Reconstruction after cyclone Idai

  This year, in  Beira City the reconstruction works of several public buildings destroyed during the passage of tropical cyclone Idai in March 2019 will comence as announced by the executive director of the Post-Cyclone Reconstruction Office (GREPOC), Luís Mandlate.

These are the Provincial House of Culture, Provincial Service of Justice and Labour, 1st Civil Registry Office, Provincial Library, 1st Notary Public, Sports Pavilion, National Public Safety Service, Regional Public Emergency Warehouse, the Office of the Secretary of Sofala State and Provincial Directorate of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources.

The works are covered by financing from the World Bank, to the tune of 12 million dollars. Likewise, they will be applied in 37 other projects in the districts of Nhamatanda, Dondo and Búzi and 21 located in Cabo Delgado province, all affected by the Kenneth storm in 2019.

Mozambique: Defence, security meeting in Maputo with Tanzania kicks off

2:31 CAT | 27 Sep 2022

The defence ministers of Mozambique and Tanzania, as well as experts from the two countries, are meeting from today until Friday in Maputo, at a time when the two countries are facing a common terrorist threat in Cabo Delgado.

The topic will be on the agenda of this fourth session of the Permanent Joint Commission on Defence and Security, a body that regularly brings the two countries together.

The session will be co-chaired by Ministers Cristóvão Artur Chume, on the Mozambican side, and Stergomena Tax, representing Tanzania.

In addition to evaluating accomplishments to date, the meeting will serve to “design actions to be developed in the fields of Defence, Public Security and State Security, as well as improve cooperation mechanisms”, a statement about the event reads.

The ministerial meeting is preceded, today, by a meeting of defence and security experts from the two countries.

Mozambique and Tanzania signed two memoranda of understanding on Wednesday, one in the area of defence and the other on rescue and salvage operations, during a meeting between Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi and the Tanzanian head of state, Samia Suluhu.

The MoUs are related to the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, a region in northern Mozambique rich in natural gas.

“We are aware that Mozambique and Tanzania share an extensive border about 800 kilometres long, the longest in the region. Therefore, we are aware that we have to strengthen our cooperation mechanisms,” Samia Suhulu said during her visit to Maputo.

Tanzania is a member of SAMIM, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) military mission supporting Mozambican troops in the fight against the armed insurgency.

Cabo Delgado province has been terrorized since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.

The conflict has internally displaced about 800,000 people, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and killed about 4,000 individuals (ACLED conflict registry figure).

Source: Lusa

Mozambique: Frelimo Congress re-elects Nyusi as party president

Photo: Frelimo Moçambique / Facebook

Mozambican ruling party Frelimo on Sunday re-elected Filipe Nyusi, for another five-year term as party president, during the 12° Congress currently under way in the town of Matola, southern province of Maputo.

Nyusi, who is also Mozambican Head of State, was the sole candidate for his own succession, having won 100 percent of the votes.

Nyusi’s re-election was a predictable outcome since he had the unconditional support of Frelimo’s social organizations namely the Mozambique Youth Organisation (OJM), the Mozambican Women’s Organisation and the Mozambique’s Association of Veterans of the National Liberation Struggle (ACLLN). Nyusi also had the support of the Central Committee and the Political Commission.

In all, Filipe Nyusi won 1134 votes from an equal number of delegates who voted for his re-election.

This Monday the Congress is expected to choose the new Political Commission and Secretary General.

Soon after his re-election, Nyusi was sworn into office by the honorary President of Frelimo, Joaquim Chissano, and pledged to faithfully serve both Frelimo and the country, ensure internal cohesion, as well as to fulfill all the missions which will be assigned to him.

‘Thank you very much comrades for your genuine support. I promise work, work and work,’ Nyusi said.

Chissano, for his part, said the re-election is a clear expression of will of party members. He reminded the incumbent president that the country is facing a number of challenges, hence the need for greater inclusiveness and national unity. Also, urged to work on the preservation of peace as an indispensable requirement for national unity.

‘Your mission is to ensure reconciliation at all levels. We also want reconciliation with other parties, because we want them to work on people’s development and unity”, he added.

Chissano recalled that several times as president, he was forced to swallow frogs for the sake of peace and national unity. He, therefore, urged Nyusi to have courage and exercise patience, as well as greater maturity to best represent the country at the United Nations Security Council, as non-permanent member to which Mozambique was elected this year.

Nyusi is the 5th Frelimo President in 60 years. The first was Eduardo Mondlane, who is also known as the architect of national unity. After his death in 1969, he was replaced by Samora Machel, who died in 1986. He was then replaced by Chissano an Armando Guebuza 

Source: AIM 

XII Frelimo Congress. The members of the new Central Committee are already known

The members who make up the new Frelimo Central Committee, elected at the twelfth party congress, that is in progress  in the city of Matola and which are due to close today, are already known.

The new body was elected on Monday night, after a voting process, which involved around 1,500 delegates at the party's twelfth Congress, which  is in progress  in the city of Matola, Maputo province.

The two hundred and fifty members elected to this body will be presented this Tuesday, according to Frelimo spokesman Caifadine Manasse:

 “These are positive results, this is an internal electoral process within our party and the candidates know that when advancing towards this process, there is 60 percent continuity and 40 percent renewal. 

It means that some cadres could be left out of the Committee and others would join and this is a process that happens whenever there is an election. 

We look at this process as the one in which the cadres are reinforced in the party, because there is an injection of new blood and Frelimo maintains its vitality, because it accompanies this type of processes in which there is continuity and renewal”, he said.

Mozambique: Maputo hosts Mphanda Nkuwa Project Bidders’ Conference

 Government of Mozambique, through the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), represented by the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project Implementation Office (GMNK), is holding a conference in Maputo on Tuesday, September 27, with potential pre-qualified Strategic Investors, within the scope of the tender process for the selection of the partner for the development of the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project and associated energy transport infrastructure.

The conference will constitute a technical, interactive session for clarification of project and tender issues, and a stage for reviewing and updating technical, environmental, economic, financial and market studies, including issues of legislation, associated regulations and the legal and institutional structures in the sector.

During the conference, the project’s partner international financial institutions, such as the World Bank (WB) group and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will talk about their role in the project, address issues of financing and guarantees for the venture. In the two days following two days the conference, the competitors will visit the sites in Tete province where the project will be implemented.

This program is included in the Specifications of the Strategic Partner selection tender and will allow investors to find out about the natural conditions of the project implementation site, data fundamental in the preparation of technical, economic and financial proposals in response to the tender process.

Called the Mphanda Nkuwa Project Bidders’ Conference, the event will bring together MIREME, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Land and Environment (MTA), the Agency for the Promotion of Investment and Exports (APIEX), the GMNK, and the project’s partner international financial institutions such as the World Bank, AfDB and potential pre-qualified project investors.

With an estimated cost of US$4.5 billion, the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project includes the development of a run-of-river dam 61 kilometres downstream from Cahora Bassa on the Zambezi River in Tete province. 

A hydroelectric power plant with an installed power production capacity of up to 1,500 megawatts and a 1,300 kilometre energy transmission line from Tete to Maputo are envisaged.

The project is being implemented in strict compliance with internationally accepted global standards and tools for social, environmental and governance (Environmental Social and Governance – ESG) compliance for mitigating negative impacts and maximising positive aspects, evaluation and certification of the project, and which prioritise the creation of opportunities for local communities, minimise and mitigate the adverse impact on the biodiversity heritage.

The Mphanda Nkuwa project will be a lower-cost power generation option which will position Mozambique as a regional energy hub, and contribute to universal access, industrialization, job creation and technical training while generating tax and concession fee revenue. 

The project is fundamental for the energy transition and decarbonisation of the Southern region of the African Continent.

Mozambique: Conditions for IMF support – A Verdade

Mozambique must, under the agreement with by the IMF , reduce its wage bill, eliminate VAT exemptions, roll out e-taxation, transact all state expenditure through e-SISTAFE and cease accepting non-concessional loans

To start receiving money from the new Economic and Financial Program with the International Monetary Fund, the Mozambican government will be obliged to “better manage the cost of employment in the public sector and [cap] the wage bill at around 10.8% of GDP”.

 It must also eliminate some VAT exemptions and zero rates, “extend e-taxation to all taxes and all fiscal units”, incorporate all stages of the state expenditure chain in e-SISTAFE, and further strengthen budgetary transparency and the management of risks to the state budgets.

 Finally, Mozambique is prevented “from granting new guarantees or entering into new external financing contracts on non-concessional terms”.

Mozambique’s return to world financial markets and the resumption of direct support to the State Budget by Cooperating Partners after suspension in 2016 due to the discovery of the illegal debts of Proíndicus, EMATUM and MAM will oblige the government headed by Filipe Nyusi, and by whoever succeeds him in the presidency in 2025, to “adopt strong fiscal policies” dictated by the IMF and aimed at “supporting economic recovery and, at the same time, responding to debt and structural challenges, that are contributing to macroeconomic vulnerabilities and generating protracted needs in terms of the balance of payments”.

These obligations are contained in the Memorandum on Economic Policies signed by the Executive and the IMF which details, among various policies, the imperative to reduce the current wage bill of the Civil Service from 13.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021 to 10.8% of GDP by 2026, regardless of the implementation of the Single Salary Table (TSU).

 “This exceptional increase will be offset, in part, by not raising public sector salary levels in 2022 and replacing only one out of every three employees leaving the civil service, except for the education, health, justice and agriculture sectors.”

The Memorandum, made public this week by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), indicates that “the Government will implement other measures to reduce the pressure on the wage bill, including: assessing the functional structure in the public sector (ministries, local government structures , public institutions) with a view to reducing duplication of activities and institutional overlap; formulate a policy to encourage early retirement; implement the reforms in the EGFAE Statute [General Statute of State Employees and Agents] recently approved by the Assembly of the Republic which determines the retirement age.

 If savings fall short of expectations, complementary measures will be considered to ensure the convergence of the wage bill/GDP ratio with the averages in the region and the group of homologous countries”.

In order to start making the US$470 million available, the International Monetary Fund also obliges the Executive to reform the Value Added Tax (VAT) by eliminating some exemptions and zero rates, safeguarding “the exemptions and zero rates in basic goods” to minimise the impact on the most vulnerable families. “The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) will submit a proposal to amend the VAT Law to the Assembly of the Republic by August 2022 to limit to 12 months the deadline for taxpayers to request a VAT refund. After this period, the refund will be carried forward and will be credited against future VAT obligations. In parallel, the MEF will present a strategy, by the end of December 2022, to settle the current stock of VAT refund arrears,” the memorandum details.

“The Tax Authority continues its efforts to modernise tax collection through an integrated system of electronic taxation (e-taxation)” the memorandum stipulates, foreseeing the extension of “e-taxation to other taxes (Tax on Vehicles, Tax on National Reconstruction, Stamp Duty, SISA [property transfer] Tax and Inheritance and Donation Tax) by the end of 2022. In addition, the Tax Authority will implement transversal modules (tax enforcement, bankruptcies, instalment payments, risk profiles, claims and appeals, refunds and compensation, litigation and tax audits) by the end of 2023. In parallel, the Tax Authority will extend e-taxation to all taxes and all tax units by the end of 2023 (structural benchmark)”.

The IMF requires the Government to incorporate “all stages of the expenditure chain into e-SISTAFE (the financial management system) by the end of 2022 with a view to improving budget execution control and budget discipline and transparency” and to further increase budgetary transparency and budgetary risk management by including information on Public-Private Partnerships in the Medium-Term Fiscal Scenario, in the Debt Management Report and in the Fiscal Risks Report

Mozambique is prohibited “from granting new guarantees or entering into new external financing contracts on non-concessional terms, with the exclusion of debt contracted through the National Hydrocarbon Company (ENH) related to the liquefied natural gas development projects already identified, in line with the Policy on Indebtedness Limits and taking into account the expected high social and economic returns from LNG and the absence of concessional financing”.

By Adérito Caldeira

Source: A Verdade 

Mozambique: Government to extend VAT to private education and health services – Carta

  Tvm photo

As part of its Economic Acceleration Program (PAE) measures, the government promised to reduce the VAT rate from 17% to 16%. The announcement was welcomed by the private sector. A few weeks later, the government has just published a matrix with the proposed Amendment to Law 13/2016 (Value Added Tax Code).

The government now intends to withdraw VAT exemptions from private health and private education services, with the introduction of VAT at the rate of 16%. VAT will also cover rent for commercial and industrial purposes in rural areas, and will be applied to financial, banking and insurance operations that are not subject to stamp duty.

The government proposal also contemplates the application of VAT to bicycles, with the exception of simple bicycles with up to four gears. Garbage removal services will only be exempt from VAT when performed by public entities and contracted by them. Private entities so engaged will be liable.

Source: Carta de Moçambique

Standard Bank Mozambique expects a slight reduction in inflation

O País filé photo

Standard Bank Mozambique expects a slight reduction in inflation, which has been rising in recent months, but adds that this will happen before the end of the year, when it is forecast to reach an average of 11.7%. The peak, estimated at 12.2%, might have already occurred in August.

Standard Bank Mozambique’s chief economist, Fáusio Mussá, says this scenario is due to a series of internal and external shocks to which the national economy has been exposed, with the emphasis on the impact of climate change on the price of food and of the war in Ukraine on fuel prices, with ripple effects on other prices in the economy.

To respond to these threats, Mussá explains, the government announced, for example, its intention to subsidise transport, as well as a fuel import component designed to guarantee price stability, “especially because the most vulnerable layers of our society are the who are most affected by the impact of rising fuel prices”.

“In this scenario, our expectation is that the Bank of Mozambique will maintain the current 15.25% monetary policy reference interest rate (MIMO) until the end of the year, but there is no guarantee of this, especially if there is any surprise that translates into higher than expected inflation,” Mussa underlined.

Source: O País

Mozambique: Prime Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly in New York

Prime Minister of Mozambique.

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Prime Minister of Mozambique, Adriano Maleiane, arrives in New York this Thursday to take part in the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Representing President Filipe Nyusi, Adriano Maleiane will, before giving his address to the General Assembly on Saturday, carry out numerous engagements, participating in the many forums that characterise UN General Assembly sessions.

Among these are a reflection on the Sustainable Development Goals, the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities and the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Bilateral meetings with the Director General of the International Organisation for Migration and with government representatives from several countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe, are also on the prime minister’s agenda.

A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office indicates that Maleiane is travelling to New York on behalf of the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi. According to the same statement, Adriano Maleiane will, in his address on Saturday, present Mozambique’s stage of development in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, reiterating the country’s commitment to the implementation of that instrument, with the emphasis on the expansion of health, banking, the judicial system and electricity network, as well as the consolidation of food production programs to eradicate hunger and chronic malnutrition, promoting peace and sustainable and inclusive development.

Maleiane arrives in New York at the head of a delegation that includes deputy ministers of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Manuel Gonçalves, and of Education and Human Development, Manuel Bazo, and also the Ambassador of Mozambique to the United Nations, Pedro Commissário.

The general debate of the 77th UN General Assembly began on Tuesday with the speech given by the President of Brazil, a tradition followed since 1949, on which occasion Jair Bolsonaro said that finding answers to the main global challenges was a collective responsibility.

This year, the High Level session of the UN General Assembly is held under the theme: “A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges”.

This is the first session in which Mozambique will participate since being elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on June 9 of this year.

It is also the first session led by the new President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, from Hungary, elected last June and sworn in last week.

It is also the first session to take place since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been the dominant theme of the various speeches made in the General Assembly.

In response to polarised views about this conflict, the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and of China, Xi-Jinping, have already announced that they will not take part in the session, notable absences from the 77th UN General Assembly, which otherwise counts at least 130 heads of state and government among the attendees.

Source: Rádio Moçambique / Notícias

Frelimo SG confirms that Filipe Nyusi will run for 3rd term as party chief – A Verdade

Roque Silva clarified that the nomination of the Frelimo party candidate for the 2024 General Elections “is not on the Congress agenda”. [Image: A Verdade]

The Secretary-General of the Frelimo Party Roque Silva confirmed this Wednesday (21-09) the announcement by @Verdade that Filipe Nyusi will run for a third term as president of the party that has governed Mozambique since 1975.

Asked by @Verdade at a press conference within the scope of preparations for the 12th Frelimo Congress who the candidates were, Roque Silva made it clear: “Regarding the candidate for president of the party, I can safely say that the candidate is Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, president of Frelimo and beloved member of the 60-year-old party.”

Elected for the first time in 2015, a year after being elected President of Mozambique and after Armando Guebuza’s resignation, Nyusi is expected to be re-elected unanimously.

Roque Silva clarified that the nomination of the Frelimo party candidate for the 2024 General Elections “is not on the Congress agenda”.

Regarding the Magna meeting of the ‘comrades’ that starts next Friday (23), and is the finale of the process started in the party cells on June 23, the Frelimo Party SG pointed out that “for the first time, it covered a level that did not previously exist in the party structure – that of the locality, with the creation of locality committees and their leaders”.

Silva said that the agenda of the meeting “has to do with the approval of instruments that will guide the party in the next five years, namely the revision of the party’s statutes, in order to adapt them to some current dynamics, we will analyse and approve in Congress.

 The party’s program for the next five years, we will debate and approve at the party level a new component that in previous statutes was not very practical, which is the introduction of some innovations that will allow us to value those who represent Frelimo’s historical heritage for having been the labourers in the construction of our party”.

“The election of a new Central Committee, which will then have the responsibility to elect the Secretary General, will have the responsibility to elect the new secretariat of the Central Committee, will have the responsibility to elect the new Verification Committee” are other items on the agenda of the Congress enumerated by the Frelimo SG.

Silva also revealed that the Congress would bring together “about 2,000 participants, of whom about 1,500 will be delegates and 500 guests. Of these guests, we want to highlight those coming from 24 political parties and friendly organizations around the world”.

By Adérito Caldeira.

From A Verdade 

Mozambique: Police must reinvent itself to fight terrorism – President Nyusi

Mozambique: Police must reinvent itself to fight terrorism – President Nyusi Mozambican President Filipe on Monday (19) called on the Police force (PRM) to reinvent itself and repel any threats to public order and security, including terrorism attacks currently plaguing the residents of Cabo Delgado province, in the northern regof the country.

 Nyusi, who is also Commander-in-Chief of Forças de Defesa e Segurança (FDS), said that the mission of the police force also includes defence of the homeland, sovereignty and natural resources available in the country, as well as all achievements made with sacrifice and work of Mozambicans.

 He left the challenge during the closing ceremony of the 42nd PRM Basic course, at the Matalana Police Training School.

 In his view, the entry of a growing number of trained police officers Mozambicans into the ranks of the FDS is an important contribution by the Mozambican people to strengthen human capacity, allowing for wider coverage in the surveillance, vigilance and defence of country’s integrity. 

 “Therefore, we recommend the Police Force to reinvents itself so that, together with other defence and security forces on the ground intensify actions to repel any threats to public order and security, as well as build capacity to anticipate and contain any phenomena that could disturb the tranquillity of Mozambicans,” he said.

 The President also mentioned other threats facing the country, particularly money laundering and financing terrorism, and urged all justice stakeholders, including PRM and the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), to develop internal and external coordination mechanisms to combat this crime, which poses a major threat to the country and to the world in general. “This implies specialised training, increased capacity for investigation and analysis and responsibility for action,” he stressed. 

 Addressing the new graduates, Nyusi warned that the Oath of the Flag is not a mere procedure or a mere formality, but an act that carries in itself important significance of symbolism and a high sense of responsibility. “With the oath taken, each one of you has committed to respect and defend our multicoloured national flag and, above all, other values the honour and territorial integrity of the Mozambican nation and safeguard the sovereignty of the State regardless of the sacrifice that you may be required to,” he pointed out.

 He added that the life of a police officer finds its true meaning in the consent of individual sacrifices for the fulfilment of a set of patriotic duties for common good of Mozambicans and all. “Young men, to be a police officer is to accept to always serve national interests, to serve the Homeland and to be ready to exchange one’s life for it, if necessary,” he stressed. 

 Nyusi also reminded the new graduates that when performing their duties they should distance themselves from any criminal practices because they are contrary to their office as well as denounce, combat and repel all criminal actions to eradicate this evil from society, including the police force.

Mozambique: Businesses call for wider tax breaks

The Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique (CTA), the country’s largest business organisation, advocated broader tax reductions on Thursday to boost economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

CTA’s position is part of the “list of proposals” that the organisation drew up following the SAP – Package of Measures for Economic Acceleration announced in August by the president of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi.

The Mozambican business community believes that reducing VAT from 17% to 16%, included in the SAP, should also apply to special rates of this tax applied to other goods and services, including electricity and water.

It also proposes the reintroduction of the VAT exemption for all products in the basic food basket to improve the purchasing power of families.

“In addition, we propose the creation of mechanisms to offset tax debts and to ensure the decentralisation of analysis of refunds to the provincial tax authority offices,” the statement said.

CTA also advocated that VAT exemption in agriculture should be extended to the entire agricultural sector to be more comprehensive and include the bakery industry.

Urban passenger carriers should benefit from exemption from payment of the company tax to attract greater formalisation of this sector.

“In the transport sector, the same [exemption] may contribute to the reduction of the number of informal urban transport operators and the facilitation of the effectiveness of government policies in this segment,” the note said.

Still on the measure of the company tax reduction, the CTA proposed the inclusion of tourism, as well as technical-vocational and higher education, taking into account that these ateas are still facing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On tax incentives for new investments in key sectors made in the next three years, CTA defended extending these incentives to investments already implemented and to areas affected by cyclones and armed attacks in Cabo Delgado province.

To simplify procedures for the repatriation of capital, the measure should be extended to the flow of capital entering the country, CTA advocates

Mozambique: Portugal’s PM announces 40% increase in cooperation prog.

Photo: Notícias

Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, announced on Thursday a 40% increase in the funds allocated to projects under the Strategic Cooperation Programme with Mozambique, representing more than €90 million.

“Within the scope of this summit, we can reinforce the amount of the next Strategic Cooperation Programme [PEC] 2022-2026, which is the foundation of our strategic partnership between Mozambique and Portugal and will thus have a 40% increase in the funds dedicated to programmes, projects and actions, which will exceed €90 million,” he announced.

Costa made this announcement in Maputo at a press conference at the end of a meeting with the president of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, as part of the 5th Luso-Moçambican Summit.

The PEC, signed in November 2021, is for five years. Costa said it “will focus on traditional areas of sovereignty, such as defence, justice, internal administration,” and “deepens and renews cooperation in the strategic areas of education and health.

Photo: Notícias

Indicating that until 2021 the PEC “spent €135 million”, Costa added that the new framework foresees “€185 million”.

Considering that the future “necessarily involves strengthening economic relations,” Costa also said that as part of the 5th Luso-Moçambican Summit, “two instruments to support business investment in Mozambique, the business fund for cooperation and the specific programme for business investment in Mozambique,” would be reviewed and modernised.

Costa added that, on the sidelines of the summit, the “Lusophone Compact” would be signed, a programme through which Portugal will provide guarantees of €400 million in funding from the African Development Bank for business investment in the community of Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP).

The Portuguese prime minister also noted two other protocols that would be signed on Friday and that “aim to strengthen the development potential of the Cabo Delgado region,” with the installation of “a research centre dedicated to gas and oil and a vocational training programme in the area of gas, which will be aimed at around 1,200 young Mozambicans.

Mozambique: Portugal’s PM announces 40% increase in cooperation prog. – Watch

11:42 CAT | 02 Sep 2022

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Photo: Notícias

Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, announced on Thursday a 40% increase in the funds allocated to projects under the Strategic Cooperation Programme with Mozambique, representing more than €90 million.

“Within the scope of this summit, we can reinforce the amount of the next Strategic Cooperation Programme [PEC] 2022-2026, which is the foundation of our strategic partnership between Mozambique and Portugal and will thus have a 40% increase in the funds dedicated to programmes, projects and actions, which will exceed €90 million,” he announced.

Costa made this announcement in Maputo at a press conference at the end of a meeting with the president of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, as part of the 5th Luso-Moçambican Summit.

The PEC, signed in November 2021, is for five years. Costa said it “will focus on traditional areas of sovereignty, such as defence, justice, internal administration,” and “deepens and renews cooperation in the strategic areas of education and health.

Photo: Notícias

Indicating that until 2021 the PEC “spent €135 million”, Costa added that the new framework foresees “€185 million”.

Considering that the future “necessarily involves strengthening economic relations,” Costa also said that as part of the 5th Luso-Moçambican Summit, “two instruments to support business investment in Mozambique, the business fund for cooperation and the specific programme for business investment in Mozambique,” would be reviewed and modernised.

Costa added that, on the sidelines of the summit, the “Lusophone Compact” would be signed, a programme through which Portugal will provide guarantees of €400 million in funding from the African Development Bank for business investment in the community of Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP).

The Portuguese prime minister also noted two other protocols that would be signed on Friday and that “aim to strengthen the development potential of the Cabo Delgado region,” with the installation of “a research centre dedicated to gas and oil and a vocational training programme in the area of gas, which will be aimed at around 1,200 young Mozambicans.

Photo: Domingo

“We are fighting terrorism not only from a military and humanitarian point of view but also from the point of view of the region’s development,” he noted.

Costa considered that Mozambique “has enormous potential from an agricultural point of view”.

“And if humanity faces a huge challenge in its energy transition, it faces no less of a challenge from the point of view of food security, and so diversification, increase and quality of food is an ever greater challenge and where Mozambique has a decisive role,” he told reporters.

The governments of Portugal and Mozambique signed six cooperation protocols on Thursday as part of the 5th Luso-Moçambican Summit in education, heritage rehabilitation, technical and operational skills of the Mozambican security forces and services, justice and agriculture.

“On all fronts, from the point of view of political cooperation, military cooperation in the fight against terrorism, development in the area of health or education, or from the point of view of economic relations, this 5th summit will certainly be a significant milestone in our relations,” Costa said.

Drawing a picture of the situation in Mozambique compared to the last summit in 2019, the prime minister said that the country “has a new framework, frankly favourable to investment,” particularly by Portuguese companies, with the resumption of financial support from the International Monetary Fund after the hidden debts’ scandal) and the retreat of terrorism

Photo: Robert Allan Ltd

Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyard has completed construction on three purpose-designed tugs to be operated in Mozambique by Dutch towage company Smit Lamnalco.

The Bureau Veritas-classed sisters SL Ibo, SL Matemo, and SL Macaloe were specifically designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd for operation in the offshore area near the northeast coast of Pemba, Mozambique. 

The three tugs will be working together with one multi-purpose vessel as a fleet in support of FLNG operation, providing berthing and unberthing assistance to LNG carriers and condensate tankers, and as holdback tugs during cargo transfer operations.

The Marshall Islands-flagged tugs each have an LOA of 42 metres, a moulded beam of 16 metres, and a maximum draught of seven metres.

 The two Anglo Belgian Corporation 12V DZC-166-1000 2,900kW diesel engines on each tug drive Kongsberg controllable-pitch propellers to deliver a bollard pull of 93 tonnes and a free running speed of 14 knots. In addition to the main propulsion, there is also a Kongsberg electric motor-driven, drop down azimuthing bow thruster.

The tugs were designed to have good seakeeping and are capable of performing the berthing and unberthing services in open water. 

A U-tube anti-roll tank is incorporated and arranged to significantly reduce roll motions and improve seakeeping performance in offshore operations.

The tugs have been outfitted for safe and efficient performance of ship handling.

 The deck machinery comprises a Brattvaag escort winch and two hydraulic vertical anchor windlasses at the bow. 

The escort winch is spooled with a high-performance synthetic towline on each drum.

A towing hook, tow pin, and two tugger winches are provided on the aft deck. An aft towing winch is also provided for SL Macaloe.

 In addition, a deck crane is also provided for deck cargo handling. The aft deck is designed to load up to 100 tonnes of assorted cargo.

The tugs have extensive ship-handling fendering, consisting of a cylindrical bow fender of one metre in diameter at the forecastle deck level and W-block fenders at the stern, with D-fender installed along the sheer lines at the forecastle deck and main deck.

The vessels have been designed to have a full-height forecastle deck with one tier of deckhouse above the forecastle deck and below the wheelhouse. They also have each been outfitted for an operating crew of up to 12. The crew cabins, galley, and mess are spaciously arranged in the deckhouse and forecastle deck.

The cabins are isolated from the machinery space to provide quiet and comfortable living spaces for the crew. A gym and an accommodation area for rescued survivors are arranged on the lower deck.

Power for all onboard systems on each tug is supplied by three Caterpillar C18 generators. A Caterpillar C4.4 emergency generator is also fitted.

The new tugs are also equipped for firefighting, oil spill recovery, and standby rescue duties with capacity for up to 20 rescued survivors on each.

Source: Baird Maritime

Mozambique: Construction of petrol stations is prohibited in all provincial capitals and on the Maputo Ring Road

The National Directorate of Hydrocarbons (DNH) issued a note banning the construction of fuel pumps in all provincial capitals and on the Maputo Ring Road..

The decision to ban the implementation of projects of this nature aims to, according to the DNH,  guarantee the safety of goods and people, as well as the protection of the environment in all activities related to petroleum products.

“The National Directorate of Hydrocarbons, in accordance with paragraph 2 of article 5 of Decree 89/2019 of 18 October, communicates to the Provincial Infrastructure Service and to all those involved in the issuance of gas station licensing of Fuel Supply which, due to the proliferation of Fuel Service Stations in spaces located in zone A, specifically in the areas of capital cities, and the Maputo Ring Road, [there is] a ban on the implementation of projects of this nature with a view to guaranteeing the safety of goods and people and the protection of the environment in all activities related to petroleum products”, reads the statement from the DNH.

The order comes after, last week, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, denounced the existence of gas station owners who use the business to launder money and finance terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

Source: Diário Económico

Mozambique: Report of delays to Coral South LNG project – AIM

 information company Energy Intelligence has reported that the Coral South Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal has run into technical issues that could delay shipment of the first cargo of LNG from Mozambique.

The LNG will be produced by a consortium led by the Italian energy company, ENI. The LNG facility, built in a Korean shipyard, arrived in Mozambican waters in January and should by now be anchored in Area Four of the Rovuma Basin, some 40 kilometres off the coast of Cabo Delgado province.

 This will be the first deep-water platform in the world to operate at a water depth of about two thousand meters.

Last week, AIM reported that the tanker “British Mentor” was on its way to Coral Sul to pick up LNG for the British company BP. However, according to the ship-tracking website Marine Traffic, “British Mentor”, after hanging around in the Mozambique Channel for a couple of days, has changed its destination to Oman and is heading north to the port in Arabia.

According to Energy Intelligence, a source informed them that “serious issues [were] reported at Coral FLNG with one critical distillation column (demethaniser) suspected of having internal damage.

 Shutdown is required for inspection and repair, which will delay the start-up schedule by several days, if not weeks”.

Once fully operational, the terminal will produce 3.4 million tonnes of LNG per year. All of its output over the next 20 years has been bought by BP. However, a spokesperson for BP, contacted by AIM, was not able to comment on the movements of “British Mentor”.

The Coral Sul project will be the first of three projects to produce LNG in Mozambique. 

The main participant in Area Four is Mozambique Rovuma Ventures, a partnership between ENI, the US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which together control 70 per cent of the undertaking.

 The remaining 30 per cent is divided equally between the Mozambican state hydrocarbon enterprise ENH, Galp Energia of Portugal, and Kogas of South Korea.

The other LNG venture currently underway is the Mozambique LNG Project using gas from Rovuma Basin Offshore Area One. 

The French oil and gas company, TotalEnergies, is the operator with its partners coming from Japan, India, Thailand, and Mozambique. When operational, the project will produce 12.88 million tonnes of LNG per year for domestic consumption and export.

Progress with this project has been held up following the decision of TotalEnergies in April 2021 to declare force majeure following an attack by islamist terrorists near the Afungi Peninsula where the onshore LNG facility will be constructed.

However, according to one of the project’s partners, BPCL of India, which holds a ten per cent stake in Area One, the project should resume in the first half of 2023. 

The Chair and Managing Director of the company, Arun Kumar Singh, told shareholders at its Annual General Meeting that “now, with the efforts of the Government of Mozambique’s forces, supported by a regional coalition, progress is being made in improving the security situation in the region, and the project will resume once the security situation is stabilised in a sustainable manner”.

A third development, the Rovuma LNG Project, will use gas from offshore Area Four to produce 15 million tonnes of LNG a year. However, the operator, ExxonMobil, has not yet taken its final investment decision.

By John Hughes, AIM London

Source: AIM

Mozambique Food Security Outlook Update, August 2022

Mozambique Food Security Outlook Update, August 2022

FEWS NET: Mozambique Food Security Outlook Update August 2022: Food assistance needs remain high and are likely to increase during the upcoming lean season, 2022

Food assistance needs remain high and are likely to increase during the upcoming lean season

Key messages 

Most households across Mozambique are facing Minimal (IPC Phase 1) outcomes supported by adequate access to income and food.

 However, in drought affected areas in southern Mozambique, flood- and tropical storm-impacted areas in Nampula, and conflict-affected areas of Cabo Delgado, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes persist as poor households have limited access to income for food purchases and are engaging in consumption and livelihood-based coping strategies to minimize food consumption gaps. 

In Cabo Delgado, Stressed! (IPC Phase 2!) outcomes are present in areas where humanitarian partners have access to IDPs and host communities, and where food distribution is consistent.

 From October 2022 to January 2023, an increasing number of households will likely face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes as the typical lean season sets in.

In June and July 2022, Food Security Cluster partners provided humanitarian food assistance to over 600,600 people in northern Mozambique. 

However, WFP plans to assist 944,480 people with humanitarian food assistance in northern Mozambique in the August/September cycle. 

To ensure the most vulnerable people in northern Mozambique are reached despite limited resources, WFP is conducting a vulnerability-based targeting exercise to prioritize assistance according to vulnerability status instead of displacement. 

To build livelihoods in Cabo Delgado, WFP is planning to provide 160,000 people with livelihood interventions (agricultural kits) for the 2022/2023 main planting season in five districts.

The annual inflation rate increased from 10.8 percent in June 2022 to 11.8 percent In July, the highest inflation rate since August 2017. 

The continual rise in inflation is coming from the increased costs of transportation and food and non-alcoholic beverages, which are around 19 and 17 percent higher than last year, respectively. 

More  specifically, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) highlights price increases in petrol, diesel, bottled butane gas, tomatoes, and wheat as contributing the most to the increase in the monthly inflation rate. The rise in prices is reducing household purchasing power, particularly very poor and poor households.

 

From June to July 2022, maize grain prices increased by 10-22 percent in some monitored markets and doubled in Mutarara market. 

The sharp increase is likely related to low local supply and increased demand by regional traders. Elsewhere, maize grain prices were relatively stable, except for a 17 percent decline in Manica market likely due to local supply dynamics. Compared to last year and the five-year average, there is a lot of price volatility for maize grain prices in July 2022 compared to prices in July 2021, likely driven by local supply and demand dynamics.

 These price variations among the different markets impact households’ access to foods and level of purchasing power, particularly in areas of greater price volatility.

Source: FEWS NET

STRONG RAINS WREAK HAVOC IN THE CENTRE OF MOZAMBIQUE

THESE PHOTOS SHOWS THE DESTRUCTION THAT THE STRONG RAINS HAVE DONE IN THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY.A train belonging to the coal mining company, Vale Mozambique has been derailed,28 km from TETE...along the Moatize-Beira railwayline.

Tete Province in Photos

This is the  real Tete