#Mozambique | #Covid19: The largest number of new cases since July – AIM⠀ ⠀ The Mozambican health authorities on Tuesday reported 2,068 new cases of the Covid-19 respiratory disease – the largest number of new cases in a single 24 hour period since 28 July, when 2,460 cases were reported.⠀ (...)⠀ Maputo city (860 cases) and Maputo province (521) accounted for 66.8 per cent of the new cases. There were also 238 cases from Inhambane, 229 from Gaza, 143 in Manica and 35 in Sofala. All other provinces reported less than 20 cases – 17 in Cabo Delgado, nine in Zambezia, eight in Tete, seven in Nampula and one in Niassa.⠀ (....)⠀ The Ministry release also reported five deaths from Covid-19, all of them in Maputo. Three were men (aged 28, 41 and 43), and two were women (aged 42 and 77). This brings the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Mozambique to 1,957.⠀ /...(⠀ ⠀ READ ALL:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3qfzm8B⠀ ⠀ Source: AIM⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique

#Mozambqiue: Financial close for Cuamba solar power project⠀ ⠀ ⠀ The London-based independent power producer Globeleq (an institution formed by Norwegian and British funds) on Tuesday announced that it has reached financial close on the 19 megawatt peak Cuamba Solar photovoltaic project in Mozambique.⠀ ⠀ This will include the country’s first grid-scale battery storage system with a capacity to store two megawatts (seven megawatt hours).⠀ ⠀ The 36 million US dollar project will be constructed in the town of Cuamba, in the northern province of Niassa and is being developed in partnership with Mozambique’s publicly-owned electricity company EDM and the company Source Energia.⠀ ⠀ Once operational, it will provide enough electricity for EDM to supply 21,800 consumers over a 25 year period. According to a statement from Globeleq, over the life of the project, it is expected to avoid the equivalent of more than 172,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.⠀ ⠀ The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) will provide 19 million US dollars in debt funding, with the Private Infrastructure Development Group giving a grant of seven million US dollars and CDC (the British state development finance institution) contributing a one million US dollar grant towards the battery storage system.⠀ (...)⠀ READ ALL:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3mqQd76⠀ ⠀ Source: AIM⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique #Africa #solarpower

#Mozambique: Lions return to Zinave National Park – Watch⠀ ⠀ ⠀ A lion has been spotted in the Zinave National Park, in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, for the first time in several decades, according to a press release from the South African-based Peace Parks Foundation.⠀ ⠀ The Peace Parks Foundation revealed that a camera trap has recently captured an image of a male lion, which it states was drawn to the prey-rich habitat of the 18,600 hectare sanctuary that has been established within the park.⠀ ⠀ For the Foundation, this is evidence of the “remarkable restoration of this once-silent wilderness” with “the establishment of healthy ecosystems that are naturally attracting Africa’s top predator”.⠀ ⠀ Over the last decade, the park has undergone intensive restoration and rewilding and has seen over 2,300 game animals reintroduced into the sanctuary including 200 elephants. In addition, four spotted hyenas and two leopards were recently relocated to the park.⠀ ⠀ This relocation programme was accelerated following the signing in 2015 a 20-year co-management agreement between Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) and the Peace Parks Foundation. The eventual goal is to rewild the entire 408,000 hectare park and to develop eco-tourism to cover the operating costs.⠀ ⠀ Zinave National Park forms part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, which also includes Banhine and Limpopo national parks in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and various other state and privately-owned conservation areas across the three countries.⠀ ⠀ (...)⠀ Read All:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3z4AG2d⠀ ⠀ Source: AIM / Peace Parks ⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique

#Mozambique: LAM resumes flights to Harare, #Zimbabwe⠀ ⠀ This Sunday, Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) resumed regular weekly flights between Maputo and Harare, having chosen Zimbabwe as its preferred destination for its business opportunities and the fact that a large number of Mozambicans lives there, just as many Zimbabweans live in Mozambique.⠀ ⠀ In addition to Zimbabwe, LAM already has regional flights to Johannesburg, in South Africa, and Dar-es-Salam, in Tanzania.⠀ ⠀ Arriving at Robert Mugabe Airport, LAM general director João Carlos Pó Jorge told journalists that LAM intends to concentrate on the family and business tourism market segment.⠀ ⠀ “We are offering this air link at a more convenient price and more attractive time, offering an alternative to other connections which are more costly and time-consuming,” he said.⠀ ⠀ The resumption of flights will allow Zimbabwean tourists to once again visit beaches and other Mozambican tourist destinations, leveraging the development of Mozambican tourism, as well as facilitating cultural and sporting activities, as in the past.⠀ ⠀ In turn, the CEO of the Zimbabwe Airport Company, Devnanda Popatlal, expressed satisfaction with the resumption of flights to his country.⠀ ⠀ “It will have a great impact on the continuation of the development of historical relations, also allowing for the increase of the flow of commercial and tourist relations between the two sister countries. I congratulate Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique on this initiative,” he said.⠀ ⠀ Alves Gomes, who, with his grandchildren, was one of the passengers travelling to Harare, said that the resumption of these flights was long awaited, him having been one of the first to buy tickets. Gomes had promised his grandchildren a visit to the benchmark Zimbabwean tourist attraction, the Victoria Falls, a promise that he was now be able to fulfil.⠀ ⠀ LAM’s commercial director, Luísa Ferreira, announced that 21 passengers had travelled to Harare in the 50-seat Embraer 145 aircraft. The return flight to Maputo was practically full)...) READ ALL:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3GXbQDU⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique #Aviation #Travel #Tourism #SADC #Africa

Mix and match Covid-19 vaccine study to take place in #Mozambique⠀ ⠀ Mozambique’s National Health Institute (INS) will carry out research to investigate the effectiveness of mixing two approved Covid-19 vaccines.⠀ ⠀ On Monday, a statement from the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced that the INS-led Phase II trial will look at the safety and immunogenicity of a two-dose regimen using one dose of Sinopharm’s VeroCell Covid-19 vaccine and one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered 28 days apart. This will be compared with the effectiveness of the single source vaccines.⠀ ⠀ Both vaccines are approved and are part of Mozambique’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout program.⠀ ⠀ There is evidence from around the world that mixing vaccines can produce a greater immune response. In addition, schedules where the second dose is not necessarily the same as the first allows for more flexibility in the event of vaccine shortages.⠀ ⠀ According to the deputy director of IVI, Doctor Florian Marks, “demonstrating the safety and efficacy of a mixed schedule of COVID-19 vaccines will have a significant impact on ensuring timely vaccinations and controlling the pandemic, particularly in the regions most affected by vaccine shortages”.⠀ ⠀ She added, “amid an ongoing global pandemic with inequitable and interrupted access to vaccines, it is vital to make available a good, or potentially even better, alternative to the homologous dose schedules we have relied on so far”.⠀ ⠀ The Phase II trial is an observer-blind and randomised study. A total of 360 participants will be enrolled in the study with follow-ups until 48 weeks after the second vaccination. It is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and is part of a 12.7 million US dollar project for Expanding Access and Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccines in Africa (ECOVA).⠀ (...)⠀ READ ALL:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/32s76aB⠀ ⠀ Source: AIM⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique #COVID19 #vaccines @internationalvaccineinstitute

#Mozambique: Agreement reached on new port in Chongoene, Gaza⠀ ⠀ A private logistical company, Mozambique STT, has signed an agreement with the Chinese consortium PowerChina Hubei Engineering to finance the construction of a deep water port at Chonguene, in the southern province of Gaza, budgeted at over 324 million US dollars.⠀ ⠀ This is the first instalment of a key component in the Chonguene Development Corridor, which will cost in total more than 700 million dollars. This project has been authorized by the Ministry of Transport, through a memorandum signed with Mozambique STT, which has pledged to mobilise finance for the project without any guarantees from the state.⠀ ⠀ Work on the Chonguene port will begin in January 2022, and should be complete by June 2025. But construction must be preceded by engineering and environmental impact studies.⠀ ⠀ According to STT the contract for the first phase of building the port, worth 324.12 million dollars, was signed in Maputo on 10 December.⠀ ⠀ Chonguene will essentially be a mineral port, with the capacity to handle 150 million tonnes of cargo a year. Two new railways will be built from Chonguene – one will run for 221 kilometres to Guija district, where it will connect with the line from Maputo to Chicualacuala, on the border with Zimbabwe. The second will be a branch line to Inharrime and Jangamo, in Inhambane province.⠀ ⠀ The line to Chicualacuala will ensure that other members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even parts of southern Angola, will have access to the new port.⠀ ⠀ If the port proves successful, it may generate traffic for the Chonguene airport, inaugurated by President Filipe Nyusi last month.⠀ ⠀ The main Mozambican cargo for the port is likely to be titanium minerals: projects to mine the heavy mineral sands on the Gaza coast have been on the drawing board for more than two decades.⠀ ⠀ Source: AIM ⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique #ports #mining

Just in: Vale to sell Moatize #coal mine to Vulcan for $270 million⠀ ⠀ Vale (NYSE: VALE) is selling its Moatize coal mine and the Nacala logistic corridor, a multibillion-dollar port and rail project in Mozambique, to Vulcan Minerals (TSX-V: VUL) in a transaction valued at $270 million.⠀ ⠀ The Brazilian mining giant said it will receive $80 million immediately and the rest at the close of the deal. There will also be a 10-year royalty contract, it added.⠀ ⠀ “This is another accomplishment on our commitment to reshape our company, focusing on our core businesses,” CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo said in the statement.⠀ ⠀ Vale’s move is part of a growing shift away from coal among the world’s biggest mining companies. The fossil fuel is being gradually phased out of the global energy mix as investors increasingly demand environmental commitments from corporate leadership.⠀ ⠀ The Rio de Janeiro-based company has set as goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. To reach that target, it plans a 15% reduction by 2035 in so-called scope 3 emissions, those generated when customers burn or process its raw materials. The sale of Moatize is one step towards meeting that goal, it has said.⠀ ⠀ The Nacala Logistics Corridor connects the Moatize mine in Mozambique’s north-west Tete province via a 900km rail line to the deep-water port of Nacala in the east, passing through Malawi on the way.⠀ ⠀ Lossmaking business⠀ ⠀ The mine, which started production in 2011, has been a source of ongoing problems and losses for Vale.⠀ ⠀ The company fully impaired Moatize in 2019, after taking a $2.4 billion charge on the operation in 2016.⠀ ⠀ The Moatize mine is expected to reach an annual production rate of 18 million tonnes in 2022. The complex has a capacity of 22 million tonnes of coal a year, including metallurgical and thermal types.⠀ ⠀ Source: Mining . COM⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3qiDdS6⠀ ⠀ #Mozambique #Mocambique #mining #Malawi #Brazil @valeglobal #SADC #Africa

#Mozambique: Vale announces the sale of its #coal assets – Unabridged⠀ ⠀ 12/21/2021⠀ ⠀ Vale informs that, on this date, it has entered into a binding agreement with Vulcan to sell the Moatize coal mine and the Nacala Logistics Corridor for total proceeds of US$ 270 million, comprised of US$ 80 million at Closing and US$ 190 million from the existing business until Closing; plus a 10-year Royalty Agreement subject to certain mine production and coal price conditions. The Closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions precedent, including the approval of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique pursuant to the Mining Law No. 20/2014, and the approval of the Government of Mozambique pursuant to the Concession Agreements for the change of control and antitrust. Vale is committed to work together with both Mozambique and Malawi governments to ensure a smooth transition to the new operator.⠀ (...)⠀ I am pleased to announce this important step for the responsible divestment of Moatize and NLC, in a transaction that benefits the communities and governments where those operations are located and offering a sustainable future for the operations. This is another accomplishment on our commitment to reshape our company, focusing on our core businesses,⠀ (...)⠀ ⠀ Vulcan is a private company and part of the renowned US$ 18 billion Jindal Group. The Jindal Group has rich experience working in Mozambique with its Chirodzi mine operations, located in the Tete Basin in Mozambique, an open cast mine operating at 5 Mtpa in FY21. Jindal Group companies are a signatory to the World Steel Sustainable Development Charter, 2015 and are also a Climate Action member with the World Steel Association. ⠀ (...)⠀ READ ALL:⠀ ⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/32lAqPR⠀ ⠀ Source: Vale / Media Release⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique #mining #Malawi #Brazil @valeglobal #SADC #Africa

#Mozambique: Kidnaped Gondola businesswoman released – Lusa⠀ ⠀ A businesswoman from Gondola district, in Manica province, central Mozambique, has been released after four days in captivity, a police source told Lusa on Monday.⠀ ⠀ The kidnappers abandoned the victim during a police chase on Friday night. They were trying to leave the city of Chimoio, the provincial capital, Manica police spokesman Mário Arnaça said.⠀ ⠀ “They had no room to manoeuvre – they were cornered. The police closed the entrances and exits of the city,” Arnaça said, noting that, despite the blockade, the kidnappers managed to escape.⠀ ⠀ According to the PRM, the businesswoman was in good health and “says she was well taken care of” [by the kidnappers].⠀ ⠀ The police said that work was underway to locate the kidnappers and hold them accountable.⠀ ⠀ According to the police, the businesswoman was abducted from her home on Tuesday after the kidnappers threatened the residence’s security guard with a pistol.⠀ ⠀ Mozambique’s main cities have in recent years suffered from a wave of kidnappings, mainly affecting businessmen and their families. More than 10 cases were registered in 2020.⠀ ⠀ The Mozambican president, Filipe Nyusi, announced in December of last year the possibility of creating a dedicated anti-kidnapping police unit to fight the scourge.⠀ ⠀ The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA ), the country’s largest employers’ association, has on several occasions demanded a more robust response to this type of crime.⠀ ⠀ Read: Just in: Businesswoman kidnaped in Gondola, central Mozambique⠀ ⠀ Mozambique: Two persons kidnapped on the same day freed – Lusa⠀ (...) READ ALL:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/30NdnNr⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique

#Mozambique: Nhamadzi connected to national grid – photos⠀ ⠀ Residents of the administrative post of Nhamadzi, in the central district of Gorongosa, have had their homes linked to the national electricity grid following the inauguration of a new supply system under the government’s “Energy for All” project.⠀ ⠀ At the launch ceremony on Wednesday, the governor of Sofala province, Lourenço Bulha, revealed that of the initial capacity of 500 connections 150 were already live. He stressed that this will support development and well-being in the region together with better access to other basic social services such as clean drinking water, sanitation, improved health care, education, and access to communications systems.⠀ ⠀ As a result of the extension of the electricity supply, only three administrative posts in Sofala are not linked to the grid, namely Devinhe in the district of Machanga, Galinha in Muanza, and Mulima in Chemba. It is planned to have all these posts added to the grid before the end of 2024.⠀ ⠀ Belmiro Mateus, the regional director of Mozambique’s publicly owned electricity company, EDM, stressed that the inauguration of the electricity network in Nhamadzi is part of the government’s “Energy for All” project that is accelerating the provision of electricity for the entire population of Mozambique by 2030.⠀ ⠀ “We expect”, he said, “that by the end of the current five year period over 64 per cent of the Mozambican population will have access to electricity through the national grid compared with the present level of 37 per cent”.⠀ ⠀ According to EDM, the expansion of the network required the construction of 30 kilometres of medium voltage transmission line from the town of Gorongosa, four transformers to step down the voltage, and 12 kilometres of low voltage power line. In addition, 150 streetlamps have been installed.⠀ (...) SEE ALL PHOTOS:⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3yUNNms⠀ ⠀ #Mocambique

Mozambican David Bene wins INCM / Vasco Graça Moura Award⠀ ⠀ Mozambican writer David Bene has won the 2021 National Press /Vasco Graça Moura Award by unanimous vote with the work “O Vazio de um Céu sem Hinos”, the award promoter announced on Friday.⠀ ⠀ According to the jury, the winning work, selected from among 90 entries, “seeks a language full of meaning, sometimes impersonal, sometimes sarcastic, between the faded memory of the sublime and the concrete violence of circumstance and history”.⠀ ⠀ The National Press/Vasco Graça Moura award was created in 2015, alternately recognising original works in the categories Poetry, Essay and Translation. This year, the seventh edition, the award was dedicated to poetry.⠀ ⠀ “Empty Heaven and its Hymns”, which takes a Wallace Stevens’ verse as its title [The earth, for us, / is flat and bare. / There are no shadows. Poetry // Exceeding music must take the place / Of empty heaven and its hymns,] , “departs from the diagnosis” of the American poet’s work, to establish “a sequence of intertextual, meditative, surprising poems”, the jury wrote.⠀ ⠀ David Bene, born in Manica, Mozambique in 1993 and currently residing in Japan, writes poetry and prose and has published regularly in literary magazines in these two countries, as well as in Brazil, Portugal and Spain.⠀ ⠀ His literary debut will be the imminent publication of a work, “Câncer”, the Imprensa Nacional says.⠀ ⠀ According to the biography provided by the publisher, David Bene holds a degree in Geology from the Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), a Master’s in Economic Geology from the Akita University (Japan) and a PhD in Mineral Resources Engineering at the Kyushu University (Japan).⠀ ⠀ Bene is co-founder of OITENTANOVENTA, an initiative which places new literary voices (writers, poets and literary critics) in front of their favourite authors, to talk about writing, books and life.⠀ ⠀ The National Press Award/Vasco Graça Moura has a monetary value of €5,000 and includes the publication of the awarded work in 2022, by the Portuguese public publisher.⠀ ⠀ (...) READ ALL⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3mjCgYE⠀ #Mocambique #Mozambique #CPLP #Africa #Portugal #Poetry #Literature

South African soldier killed during combat in #Mozambique – defenceWEB⠀ ⠀ A member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was shot and killed by insurgents in Cabo Delgado whilst fighting with the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).⠀ ⠀ The SANDF said the incident occurred on 20 December when SANDF members deployed under Operation Vikela came under attack from insurgents during an ambush around the area east of Chai village in Cabo Delgado province. The members managed to fight through the ambush, but while at the rendezvous point awaiting a helicopter evacuation, they were again attacked by the insurgents and an SANDF member was shot and declared dead on the scene.⠀ ⠀ The mortal remains of the member were flown back to the SAMIM Chai Tactical Base, SANDF spokesman Brigadier General Andries Mahapa said in a statement.⠀ ⠀ “A further investigation is being conducted to determine the extent to injuries of personnel and loss of equipment during this unfortunate incident.”⠀ ⠀ It is believed that several other South African soldiers were injured in the attack, and that the members involved were from Special Forces. If confirmed, this would be the first Special Forces member killed in action since Corporal H Carstens during the Border War in April 1989.⠀ ⠀ The SANDF said the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thandi Modise, the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thabang Makwetla, the Secretary for Defence, Sonto Kudjoe, and the Chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Rudzani Maphwanya, extend their heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the deceased.⠀ ⠀ Several Mozambican soldiers are also believed to have been killed and wounded during the attack, which comes amid an uptick in insurgent activity in Cabo Delgado. Mozambique’s defence minister Cristovao Chume said Mozambican and SAMIM soldiers on 19 December stormed a rebel base and killed ten insurgents in Cabo Delgado.⠀ ⠀ There have been several attacks in the last two weeks in the Macomia district of Cabo Delgado – Chai is just north of Macomia.⠀ (...) READ ALL⠀ ⠀ https://buff.ly/3GZVj1X⠀ ⠀ #SAMIM #SouthAfrica #Mocambique #SADC @SADC_News