Mozambique: Illegal mining costs state more than 360 million meticais a year – Noticias

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Mozambique: Illegal mining costs state more than 360 million meticais a year – Noticias

2:41 CAT | 16 Aug 2021

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Noticias]

The Mozambican state loses 360 million meticais [around US$5.6 million] annually as a result of illegal trafficking and smuggling of mineral products, especially gold.

According to the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), the destination of some of the illegally mined gold is unknown, to the consternation of government authorities.

General Inspector of Mineral Resources and Energy, Obede Matine, was speaking during a recent visit to the provinces of Manica, Tete, Zambézia and Nampula, where he met various stakeholders in mineral exports.

To reverse this scenario, a multi-sectorial team that includes the General Inspectorate of Mineral Resources and Energy, the Kimberley Process Management Unit and the Police for the Protection of Natural Resources and the Environment has been formed.

These three institutions will establish the vulnerability of the exit points of the products and finding solutions to the problem.

MIREME hopes to increase mining production’s contribution to the country’s export statistics, and one of the first steps to take will be a national survey on artisanal mining.

In a first phase, the survey will cover the provinces of Nampula, Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane, and it will later be extended to Sofala, Tete, Manica, Zambézia, Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces. Work will be completed by the end of the year.

The country’s statistics show that mining production contributes approximately 9% of the Gross Domestic Product. This contribution is described as well below its real potential, particularly with regard to job creation in the communities where mining takes place.

Source: Noticias