Latest news with #Maputo
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Mozambique's Maputo Port Sees Sharp Drop in Volumes After Unrest
Mozambique's Maputo port suffered a steep drop in shipments during the first half of the year amid trade uncertainties and social unrest, according to the company that runs its operations. The port, a key hub in the global trade of chrome used to make stainless steel — handled 14 million tons of cargo from January through June, said Osório Lucas, chief executive officer at the Maputo Port Development Company. That represents a 14% decline on a year-on-year basis, he said in a virtual interview on Tuesday.
Zawya
18-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Health leaders to convene in Mozambique for innovation and action for immunization and child survival forum 2025
Global health leaders, policymakers, philanthropists, researchers, and advocates will gather in Maputo from 22–24 July 2025 for the Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025 ( This is a high-level convening aimed at accelerating progress toward expanding access to life-saving immunization and ending preventable child deaths across sub-Saharan Africa. D o wnl o ad d o cument: Hosted by the Governments of Mozambique and Sierra Leone, and in partnership with the Government of Spain, 'la Caixa' Foundation, the Gates Foundation and UNICEF, the forum comes just five years to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 deadline. 'Mozambique is proud to host this critical gathering, at a time when the world is at a crossroads,' said Hon. Dr. Ussene Isse, Minister of Health of Mozambique. 'Despite the unacceptable reality that we lose millions of children globally to preventable diseases each year, the rate of progress in reducing these deaths has slowed in the past 10 years, precisely when we need to accelerate. The decisions we make now will determine whether we keep our promise to every child to survive, to thrive, and to reach their fifth birthday. We must act boldly, together, and without delay.' A Defining Moment for Child Survival Incredible progress has reduced the number of deaths of children under the age of five by half since 2000. Yet today, almost five million children are still dying from preventable causes each year—58% of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. Preventable infectious diseases like pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, and meningitis remain the global leading causes of death among children under five, while malnutrition contributes to 45% of all child deaths globally. 'We cannot afford to let progress stall. We have a golden opportunity to dramatically expand our impact through bold leadership, sustainable financing, and coordinated strategies and alignment to reach the most vulnerable populations,' said Hon. Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health, Sierra Leone. 'Breakthrough innovations like malaria vaccines, point of care tests, and ready-to-use therapeutic foods formulated to address malnutrition are improving our capacity to save young lives and prevent childhood deaths. At the same time, by weaving these innovations into our Life Stages Approach, we make sure every child receives the right intervention at the right time, whether it is a vaccine at birth, nutrition support during a growth setback, or follow-up care through the continuum of care as they grow; ensuring no child or opportunity is missed.' The convening will spotlight ongoing record levels of global funding cuts to public health programmes, including immunization. With increasing budgetary pressure within low- and middle-income countries and little room to immediately raise domestic and philanthropic funding to plug these gaps, the impact of these cuts is even more acute, especially in fragile and conflict-affected settings where children are nearly three times more likely to die before reaching age five. 'This forum will be another milestone in our collective effort to build a world where every child gets to grow up and thrive. It's a unique opportunity to continue fighting inequalities for the most vulnerable populations, always aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030,' said H.R.H. Infanta Cristina, Director of the International Area at the 'la Caixa' Foundation. Mapping a Clear Path Forward The forum will offer a platform for stakeholders to share best practices, explore how to scale up innovations, diagnostic tools and nutrition solutions to reach all children, especially the most vulnerable in conflict-afflicted and climate-impacted settings. Speakers will also emphasize strengthening service delivery through integrated child health platforms, community health worker programs and digital tools, as well as building sustainable financing by mobilizing domestic resources, pooling international aid, and exploring innovative financing mechanisms. 'Every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy and thrive. Thanks to proven solutions and innovative care, we've made remarkable progress in helping more children survive their earliest, most vulnerable years. By investing in strong, integrated primary health-care systems and reaching every child with life-saving care—no matter who they are or where they live—we can save millions more young lives and build stronger families, communities, and futures," said Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, Director of Health, UNICEF. The convening will build on the momentum of the 2020 and 2023 Global Fora on Childhood Pneumonia ( to foster impactful partnerships, strengthen political will and mobilize Africa's political and public health leaders to ensure all children are protected against the leading threats to their survival. "Despite remarkable progress, millions of children remain unreached, lacking access to vaccines or treatments for preventable diseases. This forum is a rallying cry for Africa and the world, because the final chapter in the global fight for child survival will be written on this continent. We must protect our children with the tools we have, invest in the innovations we need, and ensure no child is left behind," said Keith Klugman, Director, Pneumonia and Pandemic Preparedness, Gates Foundation. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025. For interview requests, please contact: - For Mozambique-based media wgaitho@ and wkariuki@ - For regional and international media About the Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025: The Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025 will bring together stakeholders across selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions including senior health ministry officials, development agencies, donors, academia, civil society, and the private sector. Accordingly, it will focus on new and underutilized tools to deliver progress on child survival, more effective infectious disease risk mitigation and surveillance strategies, more efficient models of service delivery, the need for robust prioritization exercises including for routine immunization systems and new vaccine introductions, and innovative child survival financing options. For more information on the forum agenda, visit:
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South32's Mozambique aluminium smelter faces uncertainty amid power supply issues
Australian mining and metals company South32 has raised concerns regarding the future of its Mozal aluminium smelter in Mozambique, citing potential power supply issues and the inability to secure affordable power prices beyond March 2026, as reported by Reuters. The company has been in negotiations with the primary power provider, Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), since 2019 to renew a power tariff set to expire in March 2026. Under the current agreement, South African utility Eskom is designated to supply power to Mozal when HCB cannot meet the smelter's electricity requirements. However, South32 has indicated that drought conditions could impact HCB's hydroelectric power generation capacity, leading to increased uncertainty about the future electricity supply to Mozal. As a result, the production guidance for the financial year 2026 is under review. Located 20km west of Maputo, construction of Mozal Aluminium commenced more than two decades ago. With a $2bn investment, Mozal Aluminium stands as the largest private investment in Mozambique. South32 holds a 63.7% share in Mozal Aluminium, having increased its stake by 16.6% in May 2022. The Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa owns 32.4%, while the Government of the Republic of Mozambique holds a 3.9% stake through preference shares. Mozal's production reached 314,000 tonnes (t) of aluminium in the 2024 financial year. The smelter also supports the country's downstream aluminium industry by supplying liquid metal to Midal Cables, which manufactures products for domestic and export markets. In early July 2025, South32 entered a binding agreement to divest its Cerro Matoso mine to a subsidiary of CoreX Holding, following a strategic review prompted by shifts in the nickel market. "South32's Mozambique aluminium smelter faces uncertainty amid power supply issues" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Bloomberg
04-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Total Edges Closer to Restart Work on $20 Billion Mozambique LNG
Companies hired by TotalEnergies SE to build a $20 billion gas project in northern Mozambique have started preparing to resume work on the venture, four years after it was suspended because of a militant insurgency, according to people familiar with the matter. Firms have taken preliminary steps, including deploying resources to the project site, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential. A Total representative declined to comment.
Malay Mail
29-06-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Vision of hope: Mozambican student builds smart glasses to guide the blind — right from his dining room
MAPUTO, June 29 — When Armando Ernesto Chau straps on the futuristic smart glasses that a young Mozambican robotics student is developing in the family dining room, he has a vision of a life less confined to his modest home. Chau is the prototype tester for Joao Antonio Rego, a 24-year-old robotics and electronic engineering student driven to provide visually impaired Mozambicans with assistance that goes beyond a simple cane. Since he lost his sight 20 years ago, the 45-year-old father has not worked and rarely leaves his home in Matola, outside the capital Maputo. Rego's electronic glasses — battery-powered devices embedded with sensors that scan for obstacles ahead and emit warning vibrations — offer the promise of new possibilities. 'It is vibrating ... it is those bushes,' Chau said, demonstrating for AFP Rego's Vision Hope 0.2. 'Maybe, there is a window here... yes.' 'Because of these obstacles, it vibrates. So I go back,' he said. 'It stopped. See? Then it says there is something on this side... When I turn, it is quiet.' Resembling a virtual reality eye mask, this is Rego's latest prototype since he launched his Vision Hope project in 2021, winning Mozambique's Young Creative Award for technological innovation the following year. New features include a larger 120-degree range and more accurate sensors, explained Rego, a student at Eduardo Mondlane University. The battery, attached to a strap that is worn over a shoulder, is on a smart system that saves power and warns when it is running low. A GPS allows others to know the whereabouts of the user. Inspiration Rego is already working on improvements in his dining room workshop. 'I want the next version to have sensors capable of detecting very thin obstacles like wires and threads,' he told AFP. 'The coating also needs to be waterproof,' he said. Slim and serious, Rego was inspired to help when, years ago, he saw a visually impaired woman fall in a busy street in downtown Maputo, said his mother, Helena Inacio. 'Seeing that woman on the ground disturbed him. He vowed that he would create glasses,' she told AFP. She had asked: ''Glasses for what? So that blind people can see?' He said, 'No, to give direction.'' 'I thought it was fantasy,' Inacio said. Rego moved his lab out of his bedroom for better ventilation after a health scare led a doctor to warn about the risks of fumes from his soldering work. 'I had health problems and after an X-ray, they said there were some spots on my lungs which might have been caused by chemical fumes, like tin. It was temporary, but I must always take precautions,' he said. Robotics student and inventor Joao Antonio Rego (24) walks while wearing a smart glass prototype in Matola on June 14, 2025. — AFP pic Independence Rego's own vision is to secure partnerships that will allow him to one day produce and distribute his glasses across his impoverished country, where nearly 2.7 million people suffer vision loss, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Chau, who lost his sight after falling ill in 2005 and undergoing treatment in hospital, has made some suggestions for the next iteration. 'I told him to first improve the roadside verification system,' he said. He would also like a sensor that can detect the pools of stagnant water that are common in his area. And, if possible, a way for detected obstacles to be identified. 'A system that communicates... about what kind of obstacle is in front of me, if it is a human being, a car,' he said. 'If the glasses are made the way I suggest, it will help us a lot, me and many other visually impaired people out there,' said Chau. When they are in production and he can get his own pair, the glasses will give Chau a new lease of life, said his wife, Felizarda Nhampule. 'Sometimes he stays here at home alone while I go out and do my errands. Sometimes he wants to go out somewhere but can't,' she said. 'With the glasses, he will be able to visit his friends and get rid of the boredom of staying at home. In case of an emergency, he can go and seek help from neighbours,' she told AFP, flashing a smile. 'So these glasses will be a great help to him and to us as a family.' — ETX Studio
