Welcome to Zitamar’s daily Mozambique briefing for 18 September, 2017.
The latest from Zitamar News:
New accord promises Nacala trains smooth transit through Malawi
The railway from Tete to Nacala is a complex beast both from a financing and legal perspective. This latest addendum to a pre-existing accord is another piece in the puzzle.
Malawi expects to double traffic to Mozambique’s Port of Nacala
Transport minister says the rail line to Nacala should be Malawi’s main route to the sea – with businesses in the country keen to make greater use of it.
The best of the rest:
Chinese mining company donates 500 ‘motortrikes’ to Frelimo (Notícias)
Chinese heavy sands mining company Africa Great Wall Mining Group (or, as Noticias has it, ‘África Gruat Wall Minning Group’) has donated 500 motorised tricycles to Mozambique’s ruling party as it prepares for its 11th Congress later this month. The donation is made under an agreement signed between Frelimo and the company in 2016.
It would be unimaginable for a company from Europe or America – with their strict new anti-bribery laws – to make such a donation, at least openly. But the Chinese miners, and Frelimo, appear to be entirely shameless about this one.
20 years on, Mozal still not paying corporation tax, royalties, or VAT (@Verdade)
Aluminium mega-project Mozal has yet to start paying corporation tax, VAT, or royalties on its production, A Verdadereports, around 20 years after it started production just outside Maputo. The Finance Ministry told the paper that the project, and others like it, benefit from fiscal incentives on the import of machinery which are VAT exempt.
A Verdade’s report coincides with the annual financial report of South32, Mozal’s main shareholder – and a report on the taxes it pays. It shows Mozal has paid royalties of $4.3m last year, but nothing else.
Government to crack down on lending mining licences to foreigners (Diario de Mocambique)
The minister of mineral resources and energy, Letícia Klemens, is promising a crackdown on Mozambicans ‘renting out’ mining licences to foreigners. The licences are meant for Mozambicans, she said. One of the problems of the phenomenon is that it is hard for the government to keep track of how much mining is going on.
Major cities at threat from flooding this rainy season (Radio Moçambique)
Maputo, Matola, Beira and Quelimane run the risk of flooding during the first quarter of 2018, according to an alert from the National Directorate of Water Resource Management. According to the authorities, some water basins could overflow in the coming rainy season, threatening some coastal areas.
Anadarko to pilot sea cucumber cultivation in Cabo Delgado (Lusa)
US oil company Anadarko, operator of the Offshore Area 1 project in Cabo Delgado province, wants to pilot small-scale fisheries projects to grow seaweed and sea cucumbers – Latin name Holothuria Scabra – for communities affected by its project. It released a call for Expressions of Interest for a company to implement it last week.
Bank of Mozambique exchange rates as at 09:30
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