Maputo, 2 April (AIM) – The governments of Mozambique and South Korea laid the first stone on Wednesday for the construction of the Nkantha Photovoltaic Plant, in the district of Chifunde, central province of Tete.

The project, budgeted at around 12 million US dollars, was financed by the South Korean government, through its Institute for the Advancement of Technology (KIAT).

Construction is expected to last eight months and will be implemented by the Mozambique Energy Fund (FUNAE) as part of the project that aims to expand access to electricity in rural areas.

The plant will have an installed capacity of 750 kWp (peak kilowatts) and should benefit more than 1,200 families, contributing to increasing access to electricity and promoting sustainable socioeconomic development in the region.

The project results from an agreement signed last February between the two governments, through KIAT.

Speaking during the inauguration, the Secretary of State of Tete province, Cristina Mafumo, and the Ambassador of South Korea, Bok Won Kang, highlighted the importance of the project for strengthening bilateral relations and for the country’s energy transition.

Mafumo called on those responsible for implementation to strictly adhere to the established deadlines, ensuring the quality and resilience of the infrastructure.

She also reiterated the Mozambican government’s appreciation for Korea’s support, highlighting the impact of the initiative on local development.

For his part, Bok Won Kang stated that the project will allow local communities to benefit from more stable access to electricity, with positive impacts on the education, health and economic sectors.

He added that South Korea will continue to expand cooperation with Mozambique, with a view to sustainable development and mutual prosperity.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 2 Apr (AIM) – Mozambican health authorities recorded 496 deaths from malaria in 2025.

The number represents an increase of 39 percent compared to 2024, when 358 deaths from malaria were recorded.

Most people infected with the malaria parasite fully recover. Although the annual death toll from malaria is a few hundred, the number of cases of the disease is measured in the millions.

Thus, the number of known cases of malaria increased by 11 percent last year, when 12.8 million cases were recorded, compared to 11.6 million in 2024.

According to Inês António, president of the National Malaria Control Program of the Ministry of Health, cited by the independent daily “O Pais”, of the total of 12.8 million cases registered in 2025, 4.8 million were in children under five years of age.

“We currently have guidance for the general population that there is correct diagnosis and treatment for malaria. There is no need for deaths from malaria. We want the population to receive and complement the guidance so that the number of these cases is reduced”, he stated.

According to health authorities, at least 49 people died from malaria in the first six weeks of this year, for a total of 1,357,891 known cases.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 1 Apr (AIM) – The Mozambican government paid in full, last March, its outstanding debt of 515.04 million Special Drawing Rights (equivalent to 630.1 million US dollars) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to the IMF’s “Total movement of outstanding credit (from March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026)”, Mozambique’s outstanding debt was 515.04 DSE at the beginning of this period, but fell to zero at the end of March. Mozambique is the only country in this situation among 85 countries listed.

The fact that Mozambique is no longer in arrears with the IMF could help the government’s efforts to obtain more loans from the Fund.

In a February assessment, the IMF did not announce decisions on new support. At that time, the country’s outstanding credit with the IMF had reached 226 percent of its quota.

Under the latest Extended Credit Facility (ECF) program, the IMF approved approximately US$468 million for Mozambique in 2022. The program was suspended in April 2025, after four tranches had been disbursed, totaling approximately US$343 million.

Mozambique was scheduled to repay the IMF US$98 million in 2026, US$107.5 million in 2027, US$129.3 million in 2028 and US$136.4 million in 2029. This schedule can now be thrown out, as Mozambique has chosen to pay off the debt early.

President Daniel Chapo said in June 2025 that a new program was expected to be signed that year, in line with the Government’s vision. “Later this year, if everything goes well, we will sign a new program that will allow us, with the Government’s new vision, to continue an excellent relationship with the IMF,” he said.

IMF Deputy Director General Bo Li seemed to agree, saying on May 17 in Maputo that a new program was planned. “Our team will work together. In the coming weeks and months we will discuss a new program and we are committed to supporting the Mozambican economy to help maintain macroeconomic and financial stability,” he said after meeting with Chapo.

Clearing arrears could pave the way for a new program. The Mozambican government has not yet commented on the matter.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 1 Apr (AIM) – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned that Mozambique is among the countries likely to be hit by rising food prices caused by the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

Food prices are likely to rise sharply due to reduced fertilizer availability. Normally, Mozambique imports fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz – but that waterway is under Iranian control and the Iranians do not allow most shipping to pass through.

According to UNCTAD, in a document titled “Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz: Implications for global trade and development”, rising food prices will also contribute to the general cost of living.

“The interruption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz could worsen access to fertilizers for some of the poorest countries”, the document reads.

The note highlights that, in 2024 alone, the country imported 22 percent of its fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The escalation of the conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz region is increasingly reflected in fertilizer markets, linking disruptions in energy and maritime transport to agricultural markets, future food supplies and trade”, reads the UNCTAD document.

The organization warns that increases in energy, fertilizer and transport costs – including freight – could increase food prices and intensify pressure on the cost of living, especially for the most vulnerable countries.

“When oil prices rise, food prices tend to rise accordingly, and when gas prices rise, fertilizer prices often rise,” the organization states.

“The effects are already visible. The prices of nitrogen-based fertilizers have increased significantly, with smaller but noticeable increases in phosphate fertilizers,” the document adds.

Fertilizer trade, the note says, is highly concentrated, increasing exposure to disruptions.

“The region’s role goes beyond energy. It is also a major producer of essential inputs, such as sulfur, used in phosphate fertilizers, and a central hub for the global fertilizer trade. Around a third of global fertilizer volumes transported by sea pass through the Strait”, highlights the document.

According to UNCTAD, one third of the world’s maritime fertilizer trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, totaling around 16 million tons of fertilizers imported by several Persian Gulf countries through this channel, of which 67 percent is urea, 20 percent diammonium phosphate, 9 percent monoammonium phosphate, and the remaining 4 percent other types of fertilizers.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is also the transport route for around 20% of the oil traded worldwide and a significant part of the liquefied natural gas transported by sea.
(AIM)
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