Mozambique: Public Works Ministry detectes irregular licences – AIM report

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Mozambique: Public Works Ministry detectes irregular licences – AIM report

9:01 CAT | 02 Mar 2022

Photo: Ministério das Obras Públicas, Habitação e Recursos Hídricos-MOPHRH

The Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Joao Machatine, has sounded the alarm bell after detecting that over 60 per cent of construction companies operating across the country have irregularities in their licences.

Speaking on Monday in Maputo at the opening session of a workshop on “The Outcome of Climate Change in Mozambique”, Machatine said that the authorities launched an assessment drive to check the legal value of the licences, followed by the issuing of a report whose results will soon be publicly delivered.

“We have found out that the licences of more than 60 per cent of the companies should not have been. Issued. Although it is an administrative issue, it can have an impact on the quality of the work,” Machatine stressed. He added that most of the companies are administratively robust, but not technically strong.

He also expressed great concern with what he called the proliferation of fake engineers. In in a bid to overturn the current trend, the existing companies will be registered. The interaction with the Mozambican Order of Engineers (OrdEM) and the higher education institutions must ensure a thorough checking of certificates, he insisted.

Faced with this situation, Machatine has recommended the creation of the Higher Council of Public Works, which will be included in future legislation on the sector.

The training of contractors must be based on high standards, he said, because if the government decides to ban all those who break contracts, the move might have a negative impact on the economy and on jobs.

Source: AIM