New village opens for families affected by ruby mining in northern Mozambique – Lusa

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

New village opens for families affected by ruby mining in northern Mozambique – Lusa

2:07 CAT | 26 Aug 2022

Photo: Digitalmz

The government of the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado on Thursday inaugurated a new village for 105 families removed from the ruby mining perimeter by Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM), the company announced.

The new village and associated agricultural land, located in Namanhumbir, is budgeted at US$10 million (10 million euros), covering an area of 2,400 hectares, close to the Pemba-Montepuez road, according to the MRM statement.

In addition to the houses and other sanitation infrastructure, the project also included the construction of a primary school, a market, a church, a mosque, an administrative building and a police station.

MRM also built a professional training centre, which aims to train with certified skills 2,100 local men and women in the areas of construction, plumbing, electrical installation and construction painting.

The acquisition of professional skills by young people from Montepuez is essential for beneficiaries to have“ a safe and sustainable employment alternative to illegal mining, which continues to be a major concern for MRM”, the note reads.

The inauguration of the village takes place a few months after the entry into operation of the Community Radio of Namanhumbir, which cost around 173 thousand euros, to guarantee access to information for the local population.

The Secretary of State of Cabo Delgado, António Supeia, highlighted that the new village will improve the quality of life of families.

“Congratulations to all the beneficiaries of these houses. The event we have just witnessed today represents a historic milestone in the lives of these populations, as their lives change for the better. We call for the conservation of residences in order to ensure that they have a much longer life,” said Supeia.

At the ceremony, each family received the Land Use Title (DUAT) granted by the State for an area of 5,000 square metres, which includes the main house, all auxiliary infrastructure, and two hectares of land for agricultural production.

MRM owns 34 thousand hectares of a ruby exploitation concession in Cabo Delgado and presents itself as the main investor in the extraction of rubies in Mozambique, being 75% owned by Gemfields and 25% by Mozambican company Mwiriti Limitada..

Source: Lusa