Mozambique’s Ministry of Finance suspended on Thursday, 1 October, procurement procedures for the acquisition of four vehicles by the Constitutional Council (CC), valued at a total of 49.5 million meticais (approximately €677,000), following a wave of public criticism over the expenditure.
The decision was announced by the Functional Procurement Supervision Unit (UFSA), a body under the authority of the Ministry of Finance, which will oversee the process to ensure compliance with applicable public procurement regulations.
According to UFSA, the suspension will allow for the investigation of indications of practices that may contravene regulations governing public works contracting, the supply of goods and provision of services to the state, as well as the management of public assets and the acquisition, leasing and disposal of state vehicles.
“Procurement procedures for the acquisition of vehicles carried out by the CC are hereby suspended, to allow UFSA to conduct supervision for better technical guidance,” the institution said in a statement, without providing further details on the specific indications that prompted the measure.
The suspension follows expressions of “deep concern” from the opposition Mozambican National Resistance party (Renamo) over the tender award, even as the party acknowledged that the CC requires adequate resources to fulfil its mandate.
“What the party questions is the priority, the proportionality and the timing of this expenditure, given the social needs the country still faces,” Renamo said in a note published on its official page.
The party argued that the sums earmarked for the vehicle acquisition “demand rigorous public justification”, at a time when, according to Renamo, shortages of essential medicines persist in health facilities and schools continue to face deficits in infrastructure and furniture.
“For this reason, Renamo considers it legitimate to demand clarifications: how many vehicles does the CC currently have? How many are operational? Why are these new acquisitions necessary? How will the new vehicles be allocated, and what will happen to those currently in the institution’s fleet?” the party asked.
Renamo, which led the Mozambican parliamentary opposition from the first multiparty elections in 1994 through to the 2024 elections, called on public institutions to set an example through “restraint, transparency, accountability and rigour” in the use of public resources.
“The development of a country is not measured by the value of its institutions’ vehicle fleets, but also by the quality of its hospitals, schools and public services provided to citizens,” the party concluded.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/10/02/economia/financas/governo-suspende-compra-de-viaturas-do-cc-apos-contestacao/
