Prime Minister highlights positive economic trends

The Mozambican economy continues to grow despite all of the challenges facing the country, according to

Prime Minister Adriano Maleiane. Speaking on 19 October to the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, the Prime Minister pointed out that “despite all the challenges, our country’s economic performance continues to show a positive trend with a growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 4.14 per cent and 4.59

per cent in the first and second quarters of this year”.

According to Maleiane, the positive trend “is a reflection of the actions and measures that the government has been taking in several economic and social sectors, coupled with measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic”. He explained that this growth was driven by good performances in agriculture, fishing, tourism, transportation, manufacturing, mining, and services.

However, he acknowledged that the rise in fuel prices in the international market has influenced the rise of prices of goods and services in the country.

 To mitigate this, the government has been implementing a set of short-term measures focusing mainly on the cost structure of fuel “taking into account its impact on economic activity and our daily lives”.

Maleiane stressed that within the scope of pricing policy “we have been engaging in dialogue, on a regular basis, with the various stakeholders in the process of import and fuel distribution in the country with the aim of finding shared solutions to mitigate the impact of the rise in fuel prices at the domestic market level”.

It was in this context that the Government has reduced the logistic infrastructure costs of fuel for petrol stations by 60 per cent; the port handling fee by 5 per cent for all oil products; the margins of central storage facilities by 30 per cent; and tax on fuel by four meticais (one US dollar is about 63.9 meticais) per litre for petrol and diesel. In addition, the Government has temporarily suspended the correction component in the price structure for fuel and maintained the VAT exemption on cooking gas and paraffin.

As a result, it was possible to set the price of diesel at 87.97 meticais per litre when it should be 103.68 meticais. The same is true of gasoline which is sold at 86.97 meticais per litre rather than 101.57 meticais.

The Prime Minister also told parliamentarians that the measures that the government has taken to increase production and mitigate fuel prices are helping to limit inflation, which last September stood at 8.78 per cent against the two-digit average across Africa and Europe.

Complementing the short-term measures, on 9 August President Filipe Nyusi launched a set of medium and long-term measures to ensure accelerated and sustained growth of the economy. 

The adoption of these measures aims to improve the macroeconomic stability, business environment, and sustainability of the tax system in the medium and long term.

In another important development, the new platform eVisa allows for the electronic pre-approval of visas to foreigners for tourism and business (to attend meetings and conferences), as well as to carry out research. 

This platform is also valid for foreign nationals wishing to apply for pre-approval for visas in investment.

The Government will also submit to Parliament draft legislation to revise several legal provisions such as the VAT Code, Excise Code, Customs Tariff, Corporate Income Tax Code (IRPC), Tax System, Mining Law, and Petroleum Law.

Source: AIM

Communities and managers from Açucareira de Xinavane meet to discuss potential remedies for suspected land usurpation.

This Wednesday, managers of Açucareira de Xinavane and representatives of the nearby villages will meet in Maputo province to discuss ways to address the business' alleged land usurpation.

The Chief Executive of the Province shall mediate discussions between the community and the owner of the sugar production enterprise.

Aida Suleimane, the provincial director of Maputo's Territorial Development and Environment and a member of the mediation team, says she anticipates agreement.

"We began a project earlier that involved sensitizing the parties to look for new regions. Our goal is to meet the requirements of our population while also supporting the business so that it can continue to operate and provide jobs for the nearby areas, according to him. (RM)

DP world to increase investments in Mozambique

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, today, DP World, a shareholder in the consortium that runs the Port of Maputo and manager of the container terminal of this facility, informed the President of the Republic of its decision to increase its investments in the nation. It plans to explore the Port of Nacala in addition to investing an additional $300 million in the Port of Maputo.

DP World Maputo

In 2006 DP World acquired P&O and in 2008 MIPS was renamed to DP World Maputo. DP World Maputo has the concession to manage, develop and operate the Maputo container terminal until 2043.

The Maputo Container Terminal in the Port of Maputo is strategically located between industrial areas of Southern Africa and major economic and industrialized regions of Eastern and Southern Asia.

Mozambique taking part in Ministerial conference of gas Exporting Countries being held in Cairo.

Mozambique is taking part in the ministerial conference of the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries beginning this Tuesday.

This is the first time the country has taken part in the event since becoming an observer in February.

The meeting will cover topics such as the worldwide assessment of the gas market, the Executive Committee's management report for 2022, and a review of the long term plan.

Prior to the event, Carlos Zacarias, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, met yesterday with the Secretary General of the organisation, with whom he provided info pertaining Mozambique's gas projects.

GECF Gas Summits

A GECF Summit is a meeting of Heads of State and Government of Member Countries of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, which provides an opportunity for leaders to interact and exchange their views amongst each other. The Summit offers GECF Member Countries a chance to discuss recent developments, trends, and policies on energy in general and on gas in particular, and also to reaffirm their continued support to the objectives of the Forum at the highest level.

On 18 February 2010, Anadarko Moçambique — a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum (bought by Occidental Petroleum in 2019) — discovered a massive natural gas field in the Rovuma Basin off the coast of northern Mozambique. 

(RM

Cabo Delgado:Montepuez Ruby Mining Limitada operational update

MRM Operational Update

London,, 24 OCTOBER 2022

On 20 October 2022, Gemfields updated the market regarding the Cabo Delgado insurgency and Gemfields’ decision at the time to initiate an evacuation of operational employees and contractors from Montepuez Ruby Mining Limitada (“MRM”), in which Gemfields holds a 75% interest.

The evacuation was initiated as an ample precaution due to an attack, attributed to insurgents, on the morning of Thursday 20 October 2022 on a neighbouring ruby mine located approximately 12km south-east of MRM’s operations. MRM’s security personnel and the Mozambique police force remained on site at MRM. The Mozambique military arrived at MRM later that day and will maintain a presence for the foreseeable future.

Key operational personnel have now returned to MRM and basic operations have resumed.

Mining and processing activities are being resumed in phases after giving due consideration to the threat perceptions in the licence area.

Gemfields and MRM hold the health and safety of their employees and contractors as their highest priority. MRM remains on a state of high alert and maintains regular dialogue with government authorities.

Source: GEMFIELDS GROUP LIMITED 

United Arab Emirates Businesses keen to boost invest in Mozambique.

United Arab Emirates businesspeople seek to boost their investments in Mozambique.

This is an observation made by Mateus Magala, Minister of Transport and Communications, during the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi's, working visit to that Middle Eastern country.

" The United Arab Emirates expressed a strong interest in partnering with and investing in Mozambique in a variety of areas." This is great to observe. "I feel there is confidence in Mozambique's macroeconomic and political structural reforms,"  stated the Minister.

Filipe Nyusi, President of the Republic, met with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates on Monday night. (RM)

Nyusi visits the UAE with a focus on the economy, defense, and security.

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, will meet with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Muhammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, as part of his official visit to the country.

The two leaders' conversations will result in the signing of agreements in the economic, technical, defense, and security spheres, as well as in the fight against terrorism.

One of the UAE's priorities in Mozambique is the mobilization of additional investments in the energy industry.

Between 2016 and 2020, the UAE invested around $300 million in development projects in Mozambique, making it one of the country's major sources of foreign investment.

According the Mozambican Ambassador to the United Emirates, the visit of President of the Republic Filipe Nyusi to that nation will invigorate the two nations' ongoing partnership in the economic, political, tourism, and social sectors. (RM

Gaza Province: efforts needed for boosting rice marketing for peasants.

The producers and managers of rice development and husking factories are urged to strengthen the circuit of this cereal's marketing chain by the Council of Provincial State Representation Services in Gaza.

This proposal seeks to put an end to the concerns of family sector producers who constantly lament the lack of a market for the placement of their produce due to the absence of binding link between the promotion, sale, processing, and transport markets for rice.

The spokesperson for the Council of Provincial State Representation Services in Gaza has presented these guidelines.

According to Jorge Fole, there are conditions for the sale of rice in that province.

South African Entrepreneurs eager to invest in Gaza's agriculture, livestock, and tourism sectors

Entrepreneurs from South Africa are eager to make investments in Gaza's agricultural, livestock, and tourism sectors.

The intention was announced this past Friday at the conclusion of a four-day tour to Gaza province by a South African business group.

The agro-ecological potential of Gaza region impressed businesspeople from South Africa, according to Massaca Mabilu, the delegation's representative from that nation. (RM)

Maputo holds a public consultation session on the proposed New Investment Law

A public consultation session on the New Investment Law's draft was held yesterday in Maputo city by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce's Agency for the Promotion of Investment and Exports.

The purpose of the conference is to raise funding for the revision of Law No. 3/93, of June 24, which attempts to harmonize the fundamental constitutional framework that governs private investments within the current state of the national economy. (RM

Maputo. INAE conducts awareness-raising campaigns in the fields of business, industry, tourism, and education.

Since this past Friday, inspections of an educative nature in the fields such as business, industry, tourism, and education have been carried out by the National Inspection of Economic Activities (INAE) in the city of Maputo.

The INAE envoy gave a press conference in the city of Maputo where the announcement was made.

According to Gabriel Estevo Chongo, the inspection campaign is a component of carrying out the initiatives included in the President of the Republic's Economic Acceleration Package.

The INAE representative in Maputo underlined that the operation also aims to ensure ethical business practices and draw tourists to the nation during the festive season. (RM)

World Bank to provide USD 380 million for the renovation of the Port of Nacala and infrastructure linking Mozambique and Malawi

In order to encourage industrial development in Malawi and Mozambique, the World Bank will shortly make US$380 million available for infrastructure development at the Port of Nacala and other key locations.

By using the port of Nacala as the transportation hub, the fund will be used to streamline the logistics of moving agricultural products between the two nations' marketplaces and the production areas.

Mateus Magala, the Minister of Transport and Communications, announced the information on Tuesday in Nacala, claiming that the investment aims to support industrialization for the two nations' sustainable and contemporary development.

"US$150 million will go to Malawi, and the rest 230 million will go to Mozambique, and this will connect the markets, create new opportunities, and make the corridor not simply for travel."

COVID-19: More than 10 Business in Sofala still shuttered.

Due to the effects of natural calamities and the covid-19 pandemic, more than 10 businesses in the province of Sofala are still shuttered.

Many other businesses are struggling and need  funding.

Ricardo Cunhaque, president of the Sofala Business Council, argues that despite the efforts of the government to lessen the effects of natural hazards and the pandemic issue, much work still needs to be done.

The official does admit that the President of the Republic's newly announced Economic Acceleration Program is a breath of fresh air for small and medium-sized businesses. (RM

Cabo Delgado: Freighter ready to transport initial shipment of Rovuma Basin LNG

The freighter that will carry the initial shipment of LNG from the Rovuma Basin is already docked in Mozambican seas, in the province of Cabo Delgado.

The ship with a deep draft arrived in the nation on Sunday, according to the publication Noticias, and will be able to fill the gas within days.

The same source quotes Nazário Bangalane, the Chairman of the National Petroleum Institute's Board of Directors, assuring that the extraction and production of liquefied natural gas on the floating platform is proceeding according to plan. (RM)

Max Tonela in Washington DC:Terrorism has been exerting "exceptional pressure" on accounts in Cabo Delgado

The terrorism in Cabo Delgado, according to Mozambique's Economy Minister Max Tonela, has put tremendous strain on the nation's finances, but he claimed that "problems of national defense are issues of sovereignty" and will always take precedence.

Tonela said that in meetings he held in the US capital to mobilize resources, the attacks in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique were in the forefront. Tonela was speaking to Lusa on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

We used this chance to communicate with our cooperation partners, mostly on a multilateral but also on a bilateral basis, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Additionally, we touched on Mozambique's development challenges during our discussions.

In that regard, Tonela stated that it was feasible to "open doors for us to access additional resources and there are technical discussions which will commence as a result of the understandings we achieved."

Article: Lusa

The Morrumbala, Zambézia granite mining not providing any social advantages.

The residents of Ndenguma, in Morrumbala, Zambézia, are concerned with the lack of social benefits that have arisen from granite exploration in the locality.

According to certain sources, a company with Spanish capital has been prospecting that resource in the Morrumbala districts of Cuize, Nhamizinga, and Chevele since 2015.

Since then, those communities allege they have yet to receive 2.75% of the mining company's tax revenue. (RM)

Mozambique:Ministries came together to support the housing and construction industry

This Monday in Maputo, a roundtable was held by the ministries of Public Works, Housing, and Water Resources as well as of Industry and Commerce to determine practical methods for promoting housing and the national industry for the manufacture of construction materials.

The occasion occurs within the framework of adherence to the economic acceleration measures announced by the Government, which advocate that the Housing Development Fund will now have as its primary focus the infrastructure  land for residents and private investors, as well as the promotion of investments in local production of building materials. (RM)

Mozambique organizes its eighth tourism expo in an effort to boost the industry's post-pandemic recovery.

The Mozambican government reiterates its dedication to funding tourism, which is one of the foundations for the growth of the nation.

Recognizing the potential of the nation, the government relaxed entry visa restrictions to encourage more tourists to come to Mozambique. This will encourage economic growth and hasten the recovery of a number of sectors that were severely impacted by the Covid-19 global epidemic.

This Thursday in Maputo, during the inauguration ceremony of the Eighth edition of the International Tourism Fair (FIKANI), that hosts exhibitors from each and every province of Mozambique as well as from the neighbouring states of Eswatini and South Africa, Mozambican Filipe Nyusi reaffirmed this promise.

"Mozambique is now establishing itself as a major player in the region's tourism industry,"

Chinese firm utilizing Chibuto's heavy sands to construct Chongoene port in Mozambique.

 Gaza province's Chonguene district will get a port, according to an announcement made by Adriano Maleiane, the prime minister of Mozambique.

The Chinese-owned business Dingsheng Minerals, which has been utilizing the heavy sands of the nearby region of Chibuto since 2018, will pay for the development of the Chonguene port.

According to Adriano Maleiane, who was mentioned on Saturday by Rádio Moçambique, "They need a location that enables access to the sea and they are going to invest in Chonguene."

Adriano Maleiane stated that the Chinese capital company has not provided the funding needed for the port's construction or the project deadlines and is waiting for the environmental impact studies to be completed before undertaking the work.

READ: Mozambique reaches agreement on

New Purchase price for fresh, raw cashew nuts.

In the upcoming marketing year, raw cashew nuts purchased from the producer will cost 37 meticais per kilogram.

This is the price that was agreed upon on Wednesday during a consultation meeting in Maputo between cashew nut producers and processors.

The producers argued for a price of 40 meticais per kilogram at the conference in opposition to the Cashew Industrial Association's proposal of 30 meticais (AICAJU).

According to Olegário Banze, the deputy minister of agriculture and rural development, who was quoted by Jornal Noticias, the price of 37 meticais is the maximum that can be charged while still honoring the producer's labor and ensuring the long-term viability of the national sector. (RM