Mozambique Roundup: Cost of politicians on public boards, debt-for-climate swaps, EU training

Politicians on public boards cost millions

A report by the Centre for Public Integrity revealed that accommodating ruling Frelimo party politicians on boards of state-owned companies cost over 185 million meticais (USD 2.8 million) in 2023. The NGO noted that the spending on just 33 non-executive board members in seven enterprises surpassed what the state pays 1,760 low-tier public servants. “HCB had two non-executive members, to whom it paid a total of 77.2 million meticais per year,” the report said. “The amount refers to the non-executive members of seven public companies and institutions, namely Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), which operates the Cahora Bassa dam on the Zambezi River; the insurance company EMOSE; the rail and port company, CFM; the Matola Silos and Bulk Terminal (STEMA); the National Investment Bank (BNI); the Mozambique Stock Exchange (BVM), and the Mozambique national publishing house (Imprensa Nacional),” reads the report. For its part, the BNI had eight non-executive members up until 2023, earning a total of 16.8 million Meticais a year, Club of Mozambique reports.

Debt-for-climate swaps gaining

Mozambique is pursuing debt-for-climate swaps to redirect debt repayments into climate action. Finance Minister Carla Loveira explained, “We know how exposed our country is to climate change,” adding that there is “interest from some countries” in the swaps. “Mozambique is already designing a climate finance strategy,” she said at the UN’s Financing for Development conference in Spain, confirming that an agreement has been signed with Belgium. The minister added that “there is interest” from some countries in these debt-for-climate swaps, “There are interested countries, some of which have already expressed their interest, and we with which we have already reached an agreement, such as Belgium. And, therefore, this is a segment that we are working on,” Bulletin reports.

Insurgents preying on children in Cabo Delgado

Islamist insurgents in Cabo Delgado have been condemned for abducting over 120 children in recent days. “These armed groups are insurgents, they are terrorists, they are devils,” said Johan Viljoen of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI). Human Rights Watch called on militants to release abductees immediately, warning that “the surge in abductions of children in Cabo Delgado adds to the horrors of the conflict.” Viljoen added, “It is their nature to terrorize civilian populations, to abduct children,” Catholic World Report quotes. According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols, children are entitled to special respect and protection, including being shielded from hostilities, kept with their families, and receiving necessary care and aid. Viljoen, however, contends that insurgents abusing children, through actions like terrorizing civilians and abductions, demonstrate an inherent nature that defies this international legal standard. “Surely nobody would have been expecting them [the armed groups] to observe international law and to observe the Geneva Convention and all of that. It is their nature to terrorize civilian populations, to abduct children. They do it in whichever part of the world they operate,” Viljoen told CWR. The DHPI director decried the “terrible dangers” the children face, explaining that “the boys are forced to take up arms and to fight. The girls are either used for sex or to carry goods or to cook, or they are forced into marriage. So the children face huge dangers.”

TotalEnergies plans LNG project restart

TotalEnergies announced plans to resume its USD 20 billion Mozambique LNG project in 2025 after halting operations due to security threats. The project aims to produce 13 million tons of LNG per year, with expansion potential to 43 million tons. “This is a segment that we are working on,” the company said, positioning Mozambique as a major LNG exporter targeting Asia and the Middle East, Africa News reports. In 2024, TotalEnergies deployed two deepwater rigs in the country – one at the Moho permit and one at the Marine permit. The exploration phase has been completed, with drilling activities officially underway. Two wells have been drilled to date, with a third well in progress and a fourth being planned. Drilling activities come as TotalEnergies expands its presence in the country, increasing its stake in the Moho permit by an additional 10%. TotalEnergies is also accelerating the development of the Marine XX permit – a deepwater block currently in the exploration phase.

EU training boosts military capacity

The EU Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique trained over 450 Mozambican troops in the first half of 2025. Activities ranged from leadership and tactical driving to civil-military cooperation. “In a joint effort to contribute to the social and educational development of the local population,” the mission carried out solidarity initiatives benefiting children, including school supply donations and support for orphanages.