The government has announced the creation of new commercial warehouses for precious metals and gems in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Zambézia and Tete, in the north of the country, as part of a national strategy to step up the fight against smuggling, money laundering and the financing of illegal activities, including terrorism, as reported by the newspaper Noticias.
The measure was revealed during the 9th Coordinating Council of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, held recently in Nampula province.
According to the news report, the three new warehouses will be set up in response to the international context that requires certification for the sale of diamonds, precious stones and other legally extracted resources. Carlos Zacarias, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, emphasised that Mozambique’s accession to the Kimberley Process in 2021 has enabled the implementation of commercial warehouses in the provinces of Maputo, Manica and Nampula, resulting in improvements in the production and export of gold, gems and precious metals.
The success of these pilot centres is due to the collaboration between the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), the Tax Authority (AT), the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIC), the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) and the Maritime Administration, under the coordination of the Kimberley, Precious Metals and Gems Process Management Unit.
‘The creation of these new warehouses in Cabo Delgado, Zambézia and Tete is essential to intensify the traceability of precious metals and gems, as well as to combat smuggling and money laundering,’ said the minister, also mentioning the need to establish small mineral cutting facilities in Maputo and Cabo Delgado and to start graphite production in Niassa province.
In the hydrocarbons and fuels sector, the strategies outlined for 2025-29 include the construction of onshore infrastructure in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin, the implementation of the Coral Norte floating platform in Area 4, the operationalisation of the Coral Sul gas production unit, the construction of the ocean terminal at the Port of Beira and the use of natural gases for the country’s industrialisation.
