The Mozambican government has authorised 30 of the 41 mining companies suspended in Manica province one year ago to resume operations, after the firms demonstrated compliance with environmental requirements and mining standards. The remaining 11 operators are still under assessment, the state news agency Lusa reported on Tuesday, 18 August.
The information was provided by Felisbela Cunhete, national director of Hydrocarbons and Fuels at the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, on the sidelines of the ministry’s 11th Coordinating Council meeting, held on Saturday, 15 August, in Maputo province.
“Some companies have already received authorisation to return to their mining activities, after having observed the requirements and standards,” Cunhete said, referring to the monitoring and regularisation process.
According to Cunhete, the original suspension followed a period of disorderly mining in Manica province, in central Mozambique, which caused significant environmental damage and prompted the government to establish a commission to oversee and reorganise the sector.
All affected companies were notified to correct irregularities and comply with mining norms and best practices. The commission continues to evaluate the remaining 11 operators. “For the others, the commission continues to work to determine whether they are already in a position to return or not,” Cunhete said, adding that companies failing to meet requirements may be permanently barred from resuming activity.
Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Estêvão Pale stated during the Coordinating Council sessions that monitoring work had enabled 30 of the 41 mapped companies in Manica to exit suspension status, representing a compliance rate of 73%.
The suspension of mining activities in Manica was imposed in September, following a July 2025 assessment by an operational unit of the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), which identified a situation of “uncontrolled mining”, with licensed operators working without environmental recovery plans or waste containment systems.
Following those findings, the government classified the environmental situation in the province as critical, citing river pollution caused by ore washing and untreated waste discharge, and established an inter-ministerial commission to oversee the remediation process.
In December 2025, authorities determined that mining companies had 90 days to restore and stabilise soils and rehabilitate the riverbeds affected by mining activity. In March, authorities recommended that artisanal mining be organised through associations or cooperatives.
The process is also unfolding against the backdrop of an investigation into the use of hazardous chemical substances in Manica’s mining operations. In February, a parliamentary inquiry commission concluded that the use of such substances remained a significant challenge.
Authorities have also sought to remove children from artisanal mining. As of 2 June, official sources indicated that 177 minors were still engaged in mining activity in the province — 111 male and 66 female — down from an earlier estimate of approximately 700 children.
The commission’s report identified a structural pattern of mining activity without effective oversight, where operations continued even after legal suspension, degrading rivers, affecting communities, and exposing deep failures in governance, supervision, and law enforcement.
The document concluded that mining activity in Manica is characterised by severe environmental, social, and institutional impacts, “causing significant environmental damage with a negative impact on agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.” It added that the intensification of mining, including licensed operations, has contributed to the accelerated degradation of natural resources, particularly the rivers that feed the Chicamba reservoir.
In April, at least 11 artisanal miners died following the collapse of a mine in Vanduzi district. In January, three miners died from asphyxiation in an incident involving a generator at a mine in the same district.
Authorities have also sought to remove children from artisanal mining. On 2 June, an official source indicated that 177 minors were still involved in mining activity in the province — 111 male and 66 female — compared with an earlier estimate of approximately 700 children.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/18/oilgas/extractivas/manica-governo-autoriza-retoma-de-actividade-de-30-empresas-mineiras/
