Welcome to Zitamar’s daily Mozambique briefing for 20 September, 2017.
Today we present the first in a new series of weekly guest columns in which leading experts analyse how local and international events will impact the future of the country.
To kick things off, economist Roberto Tibana revisits the ‘Mozambique Scenarios’ framework he developed last June – and finds that the government has still failed to ‘bite the bullet’ to bring Mozambique out of its crisis.
COMMENT: Bite the bullet or muddle through? A mid-term outlook for Mozambique – by Roberto Tibana
The latest from Zitamar News:
New tax regime to stimulate Mozambique’s graphite, cement, and beer industries
The government says it has simplified the tax code, as well as tweaking certain elements to help incentivise domestic industry.
Consultants wanted to help establish Mozambique extractive industry regulator
Mozambique’s energy ministry is looking for yet more consultants – this time to help define the role of the Extractive Industry Higher Authority.
The best of the rest:
Cooking gas price up 20% (O País)
The latest fuel price update sees the price of cooking gas – LPG- go up around 20%, from 48.91 meticais to 58.91 meticais per kilo. Diesel stays the same, and all the other prices – for petrol, paraffin, and gas for vehicles shift their prices only very slightly.
The price of LPG has been all over the place this year, and this latest sharp reduction could again mean shortages as people queue to take advantage of the low price.
Government raises taxes on old car imports and luxury products (Lusa)
The Council of Ministers yesterday approved a higher tax on the import of cars over seven years old, and on luxury products including alcoholic spirits. Import taxes on newer cars will be reduced.
The government’s rationale is that old cars coming in don’t bring value to the country – but the move seems somewhat out of touch with the reality of what most Mozambicans can afford.
Timber export suspension hits port operator Corneler in Zambézia (O País)
Cornelder de Moçambique, the company formerly run by transport minister Carlos Mesquita with the concession to operate the ports of Beira and Quelimane, says it has lost around 60 million meticais so far this year after the authorities banned the export of timber through Quelimane port.
Trucks of timber are now heading to the much bigger and busier ports of Nacala and Beira, after the environment ministry cracked down on Quelimane which had become notorious for unregulated exports of Mozambican logs.
Polluting gold mine shut down in Manica (Noticias)
The KB Prospero gold mine in Chacuza, province of Manica, has been closed for two months by energy and mining minister Leticia Klemens because it is polluting the local River Chua.
Over 100,000 at risk of hunger in Manica (VoA)
A total of 113,000 families in various districts of the province of Manica are facing severe hunger due to the combined effects of the drought and conflict which decimated crops in the last growing season. Most people in the worst affected regions have only one meal a day, sometimes only maize meal. The national disaster management institute, the Instituto Nacional de Gestão de Calamidades (INGC), is trying to encourage communities who are regularly hit by drought to start growing more drought-resistant crops.
Mozambican film wins two prizes at Morocco film festival (Lusa)
Mozambican film ‘The Train of Salt and Sugar’ (Comboio de Sal e Açúcar), by director Licínio Azevedo, was the only film to win two prizes at the Kourigba African Film Festival in Morocco last week – Best Screenplay, and Best Director.
Happening today
- Maputo Municipal Assembly meets to discuss – among other things – a proposed increase in bus fares
- Day two of the fifth annual conference of social sciences think tank IESE
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