Cabo Delgado’s resource curse: beyond natural gas

2022-07-05

Mozambicans see the discovery and governance of natural resources like liquefied natural gas (LNG) and rubies as drivers of the insurgency in the country’s north. Locals feel aggrieved that elites are benefiting disproportionately from these resources.

The targeting of LNG projects by violent extremists led to the suspension of a major investment by TotalEnergies. In early June, attacks also threatened the mining of graphite, which is being produced for Elon Musk’s Tesla. Are these mining activities driving the insurgency, and how can Cabo Delgado’s natural resources be better governed?

Chairperson: Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Senior Researcher, ISS 

Speakers:

• João Feijó, Researcher, Observatory of Rural Areas (OMR), Mozambique
• Fatima Mimbire, Coordinator, Civil Society Movement on the Sovereign Wealth Fund and extractive industries expert, Mozambique
• Borges Nhamirre, Consultant, ISS