The chairman of the board of Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), Tomás Matola, has advocated the creation of a National Defence Fund (NDF) to ensure continuous financing for the sector’s operations, including the response to terrorism threats in Cabo Delgado, the Mozambican News Agency reported.
According to the agency, the proposal was presented on the sidelines of the Coordinating Council meeting of the Ministry of Defence, where the chairman explained that “the NDF would function to mobilise, manage and allocate financial resources destined for national defence priorities.”
According to Tomás Matola, “the fund should raise revenue through the State Budget, specific contributions, donations, partnerships and other sources provided by law.” The official stated that the mechanism would make it possible to finance defence strategies, military infrastructure, the acquisition of equipment and technology, specialised training for the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (FADM), and research activities applicable to the sector.
He added that “the NDF would reduce exclusive dependence on the State Budget, allowing the sector to improve its medium- and long-term planning capacity and ensure the resources needed for economic and social projects with structural impact.”
The meeting was also attended by Turkey’s ambassador to Mozambique, Ferhat Alkkan, who said that his country uses a similar fund to finance the defence sector. According to Alkkan, “the Turkish mechanism is funded by percentages of tax revenues and has financed, among other areas, the development and acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles.”
