Mozambique: More than 60% of construction companies “have licences that they shouldn’t have” – Lusa

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Mozambique: More than 60% of construction companies “have licences that they shouldn’t have” – Lusa

4:17 CAT | 01 Mar 2022

Photo: TVM

The Mozambican minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources said on Monday that more than 60% of construction companies in the country should not have a permit, admitting that this scenario jeopardises the quality of works.

“We found that more than 60% of these [construction] companies have licences that they shouldn’t have,” said João Machatine, quoted today by the Mozambican Information Agency (AIM).

Machatine was addressing a seminar on the theme “Effects of Climate Change in Mozambique”, promoted by the Order of Engineers of Mozambique (OEM), in Maputo.

Many contractors, he continued, do not have the technical capacity to work in the sector, despite having the administrative capacity.

Minister Machatine also criticised the proliferation of fake engineers, considering the situation ‘worrying’.

Even so, Machatine urged caution in dealing with irregularities in the civil construction sector, discouraging “the banning of offenders”, on the grounds that jobs may be at risk.

“If we move to the radical position of banning all substandard contractors, the economy, one way or another, is going to suffer, because these companies, whether in the field of construction or consulting, also employ people,” Machatine said.

Sanctions, he continued, must be applied, but the emphasis must be on capacity-building.

João Machatine highlighted the importance of creating a Superior Council of Public Works to promote discipline in the sector. “This is foreseen in the decree creating the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, and the Order [of Engineers of Mozambique] is part of this institution,” Machatine said, adding: “The Council will soon have its first meeting.”

Watch the TVM report.