The government spent $812.1 million on fuel imports between January and September 2025, a figure corresponding to around 65% of the total bill recorded in 2024, according to data released by the Bank of Mozambique (BdM), Lusa reported.
According to a statistical report from the central bank, the largest portion of imports was diesel, totaling $548.3 million during the period under review. Gasoline accounted for $233.9 million.
Fuel has taken on a significant weight in the structure of the country’s imports, representing almost half of the $1.7875 billion spent on intermediate goods purchased by Mozambique from abroad through September. This category also includes electricity, aluminum, construction materials, oils and lubricants, fertilizers, cement, and asphalt.
Authorities indicate that around 80% of the country’s fuel imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, coming from the Middle East, one of the main supply routes for the Mozambican market.
The Secretary of State for Treasury and Budget recently stated that Mozambique currently holds around 75,000 tons of fuel in reserve, an amount considered sufficient to ensure supply until early May. According to the official, these reserves were acquired at prices before the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
In the first months of 2025, the country faced fuel supply constraints associated with foreign currency shortages in the market, a situation that led the Bank of Mozambique to adopt measures to strengthen the availability of foreign currency for financing imports.
Central bank data also show that the cost of fuel imports fell 15% in 2024, amounting to $1.198 billion, the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic period. In 2023, the bill reached $1.417 billion, while in 2022 it exceeded $1.966 billion.
At the same time, the Mozambican economy recorded a recovery in the last quarter of 2025 after four consecutive periods of contraction. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Gross Domestic Product at market prices grew by 4.67% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
However, annual performance remained negative, with the economy closing 2025 with a cumulative variation of -0.52%. The period of economic slowdown was marked by social instability and protests following the general elections of October 9, 2024, which caused fatalities and damage to businesses and public infrastructure.
