Huge deposits of coal and gas can turn into a major source of revenue for Mozambique in coming years. Lack of infrastructure, and lack of transparency can, however, become a serious obstacle to make the mineral wealth benefit the national economy in general, writes Thomas Selemane.
Thomas Selemane (to the left on the photo) works for the Mozambican transparency organization CIP, Centro de Integridade Pública, and is a former participant in PWYP Norway’s "TRACE program".
According to Selemane, there are several reasons to worry that the large deposits of coal and gas might not benefit the national economy as a whole: - the secrecy around negotiations and contracts signed by the government and companies; - the lack of qualified staff in the ministries dealing with minerals and gas; - the lack of capacity in government to monitor, independently of the companies, the quantity, quality and value of exports; and - the growing lack of coordination between different ministries.
The full article by Thomas Selemane can be read here: