Activists blocked from supporting community rights in Tete

And: Nyusi trip to Saudi Arabia shows Middle East's growing importance to Mozambique

Good afternoon. The Mozambican authorities seem determined to use all means at their disposal to allow the 1.5GW Mphanda Nkuwa hydro power project possible, including violating the law.

Mozambican legislation does not require duly registered civil society organisations to request authorisation from the authorities to work in communities, but environmental NGO Justiça Ambiental says local leaders in the Mphanda Nkuwa region are forbidding it from working there, alleging a lack of credentials, a document that the Marara district government refuses to issue.

According to Justiça Ambiental, the Marara district administrator even said in a meeting with the organisation that environmental activists cannot go to the project region to talk about rights and laws, or mention the negative impacts of other megaprojects.

An estimated 1,400 families could be displaced by the project due to be built across the Zambezi river and another 200,000 people could be affected downstream. Justiça Ambiental claims that it is being prevented from training these people on land rights, resettlement legislation, and other issues.

What the Mozambican authorities probably fear is that with more information, the people affected could be more demanding, which could delay the construction of the project, which already has the support of the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Under current plans, the project is expected to reach financial close in 2024, with commissioning to start in 2031.

Previous experience shows that the Mozambican authorities have not been rigorous in guaranteeing the wellbeing of the resettled, preferring to clear the path for investors, to the detriment of local communities.

---

Agenda:

---

The latest from Zitamar News:

Nyusi trip to Saudi shows Middle East's growing importance to Mozambique
Nyusi's trip to Riyadh was ostensibly about investment, but the reason such diplomatic efforts are being made in the Gulf leads back to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado

---

Also in the news:

• Chinese state oil company prepares to drill in Mozambique 

• Maritime geography makes Mozambique a drug trafficking route 

• Maputo port to be extended to Moamba 

• South African vehicle burned on highway south of Maputo

Today’s front pages in Maputo. Photo © Faizal Chauque / Zitamar News