Natural resource exploitation projects have contributed to social inequalities and inequalities of treatment between community members in the province of Cabo Delgado in recent years. This is the conclusion of the Institute for Economic and Social Development, IDES, which carried out a study in the northernmost province of Mozambique.
The study is entitled “The Role of the Government and the Extractive Industry in the Development of Cabo Delgado”. The document, in the voice of the executive director of the civil society organisation, Fidel Tereciano, the conclusions are clear and the communities where the resources are exploited suffer from various problems due to the installation of these projects:
“There has been an increase in banditry, an increase in crime, an increase in the lack of respect in the community, an increase in high levels of social confrontation.”
These are problems that the government authorities in the province of Cabo Delgado, which is rich in natural resources, are aware of. The Secretary of State, Antonio Supeia, points out, however, that resources are exhaustible and therefore their exploitation must be regulated.
“That’s why our research institutions are called upon to produce knowledge on how to guarantee sustainable exploitation of the extractive industry that is reflected in the quality of life of our populations and respect for human rights.”
The results of the study, which focused mainly on the districts of Balama, Ancuabe and Pemba, entitled “The Role of the Government and the Extractive Industry in the Development of Cabo Delgado”, were presented in the city of Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province.
