Welcome to Zitamar’s round-up of what’s new in Mozambique today, 12 July 2017.
To receive this round-up as a daily email, featuring our take on the day’s top Mozambique headlines from Zitamar and beyond, sign up here.
The latest from Zitamar News:
- Analysis: Holes in Kroll report complicate Mozambique-IMF talks
- Analysis: Could Qatar’s expansion derail Mozambique LNG?
- Mozambique border guards accused of ‘sabotaging’ tourism sector
- New head of coal in Vale board reshuffle
The best of the rest…
Mozambican coal exports topped $690 million last year (Correio da Manhã)
Mozambique generated approximately $690.2 million in export revenues from Moatize coal in 2016, making it the second-largest Mozambican export after aluminum ($842.6 million), according to the statistical yearbook of the National Statistics Institute (INE).
With the expected increase in Moatize coal production in 2017, and a rise in the global coal price incentivising Jindal and ICVL to restart operations, coal should soon pass aluminum as Mozambique’s largest source of export earnings.
City of Maputo keeps growing, says stats institute (AIM)
INE also revealed that the population of the City of Maputo has grown to 1.094 million thanks to increased fertility and migration. In 1997, there were 997,000 inhabitants, AIM reports.
INE’s figure looks very low. According to the CIA World Factbook, Maputo had 1.187m inhabitants in 2015, while Wikipedia cites the 2007 census saying the city had 1.766m when the last census was taken in 2007. The next 10-yearly census is due later this year, which should give us a more definitive update.
China finances construction of new army barracks in Maputo (O Pais)
Chinese authorities announced yesterday that the country will spend roughly $18 million to build a barracks for the Mozambican armed forces in Maputo.
The announcement was made by the Chinese Defence Minister, who paid a visit to Maputo yesterday. It is possible that this was not the only accord signed during the high-profile visit, if others were kept secret for reasons of national security.
Government: SMS and call records valid in court (MediaFax)
Mozambique’s government has launched a publicity campaign to increase awareness that SMSs, mobile call records, and emails are admissible as evidence in criminal cases.
The Electronic Transactions and Electronic Government (3/2017) law has been in force since April, but the campaign suggests this was not widely known.
Game Store of Maputo City closed after fire (Jornal O Sol)
The Game Store in Maputo City remains closed after a large fire on Monday morning destroyed part of the shop’s warehouse. No re-opening date has been announced, according to a statement featured in Jornal O Sol.
The statement does not explain the closure, but the warehouse fire is known to have caused extensive damage to Game’s inventory.
Happening today
- A two-day National Civil Society Conference, organized by the NGO network Civil Society Alliance Against Usurpation of Land in Mozambique (ASCUT), begins today.
- Mozambique and Germany sign a $17.2 million financial cooperation agreement, securing German support for a project to improve electrical infrastructure in Beluluane industrial and commercial park and nearby residential areas in Matola.
© 2017, Zitamar Ltd. Reproduction and dissemination prohibited without written permission.
