Welcome to Zitamar’s daily Mozambique briefing for 13 September, 2017.
The latest from Zitamar News:
Mozambique to collaborate with UN over alleged North Korea arms deal
Mozambique has yet to provide a satisfactory response to evidence received by the UN Security Council that it bought a $6m defence package from North Korea in 2013 – via one of the companies embroiled in the ‘hidden debts’ scandal.
The best of the rest:
Government approves Guebuza foundation (CanalMoz)
The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the “Fundação Armando Emílio Guebuza”, a foundation established by the former president to get involved in social, humanitarian, sporting and academic pursuits, and in ‘historico-cultural research’.
Guebuza is following in the footsteps of his predecessor Joaquim Chissano in establishing a foundation. The controversial former president already has his own website, and an office funded by the state which reportedly received a budget increase last year.
CSR-built health centre still not operational 3 years later (RM)
A lack of equipment is delaying the start of operations at a health centre in Boane, Maputo province, three years after it was built – meaning around 6,000 people still have to travel some 23km for medical assistance. The health centre was built at a cost of 5 million meticais as a social responsibility project by logistics company ‘John & Filhos’, but is waiting for the state to install the necessary equipment to make it operational.
We don’t know the details behind this sorry tale – but a lack of coordination with local government has been known to lead CSR projects in Mozambique to become white elephants.
All 154 districts to be electrified by end of 2018, says EDM (O País)
The government has mobilised $18 million to ensure the country’s remaining four off-grid districts are connected by the end of next year, EDM chairman Mateus Magala said on Sunday while visiting one of those districts – Dôa in Tete. The other three districts are in Zambezia.
Opinions differ as to whether connecting up all rural areas – which might be better off with an off-grid solar solution – is the best use of EDM’s resources, but it is politically important to the government to be able to say it has ‘electrified’ all of the country’s districts.
Government approves $25m hunting reserve in Maputo province (Noticias)
An American and a South African joint venture called Nuanetsi has been granted a DUAT – land use certificate – for an area of 17,900 hectares in Maputo province, to set up a hunting reserve. The investment should hit $25 million, to build a lodge, ten tourist villas, and social infrastructure, including schools.
The area near the South African border is notorious for poaching, so allowing a company with a commercial incentive to protect the wildlife – even if ultimately to be able to kill it – makes a certain kind of sense, although there is debate among environmentalists over whether these game reserves do more harm than good.
Rice growers lack irrigation and equipment to satisfy domestic market (O País)
Rice producers in Bilene district have complained to the Gaza provincial government of a lack of support, including a failure to repair irrigation infrastructure and a lack of combine harvesters, as well as low prices offered by local traders. Local farmers say they lose 70-80% of their production which could be used to supply Mozambique’s domestic market which currently depends on importing 300,000 tonnes of rice per year.
Happening Today
- Launch of the World Food Programme’s latest five-year Strategic Country Plan (Plano Estratégico do País, PEP) for Mozambique
- Annual meeting of the SADC Sugar Producers’ Federation takes place in Maputo
- National Commission on Human Rights (Comissão Nacional dos Direitos Humanos, CNDH) head Custódio Duma to make a statement on recent developments in Mozambique’s peace process.
Bank of Mozambique exchange rates as at 09:30
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