Maputo — The Committee on Agriculture, Economy and the Environment (CAEA) of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, has called for urgent and permanent collaboration between Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies (AP) for greater efficiency in the supervision of the extractive industry.
The appeal was expressed on Tuesday by the deputy chairperson of CAEA, Manuel Rodrigo, explaining that, thanks to the collaboration between these two entities, the parliamentary working committees have received information based on evidence available in the PA, which helps in the routine monitoring of projects and interaction with operators and the communities where the extractive industry is installed.
This statement comes at a moment when the government has announced that the value of minerals must be applied according to the reference prices published in the monthly bulletin issued by the Mozambican Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
According to Rodrigo, who was speaking at the opening of a session on Dialogue and Information Sharing between parliamentary deputies and members of the AP, "the Assembly actions have the potential to create a real positive effect on the extractive industry, as through laws and decisions that are imperative and call for immediate intervention on the subject matter, the opportunities for greater transparency are expanded.'
The Provincial Assembly, Rodrigues said, constitutes a fundamental unit for the extractive industry because it acts at a local level, interacts directly with the communities and is aware of their concerns.
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At the event, the Ambassador of Finland to Mozambique, Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, said that the discovery of natural resources in Mozambique, particularly natural gas, was a historic milestone but also one with the potential for many risks, if not properly exploited.
She said the most important element of Finland's development cooperation policy is the reduction of poverty and inequality.
"One way to achieve this goal is to strengthen national capacities at all levels. It was with this perspective that Finland started supporting this project in 2017, due to the fundamental role of members of parliament to legislate and supervise the exploitation of the extractive industry in Mozambique', she stressed.
In turn, the Project Manager at the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD), Osman Cossing, said that the Dialogue session between parliament and the PAs comes in a context in which the extractive industry is continuing to grow in Mozambique.
"This growth in the sector has been increasing the population's expectations about their contribution to State revenue and improving their own lives", stressed Cossing.
According to Cossing, it is imperative to adopt public policies capable of mitigating the impacts of environmental damage, and defending and promoting human rights while improving the living conditions of citizens.
