Maputo, May 5, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique’s state will participate in mining ventures with at least a 15% stake under a revision of the Mining Law, which will ban the sale of unprocessed mineral products and create specific areas for artisanal mining. Parliament discusses the proposed changes on Thursday.
In its reasoning, the government acknowledges that after 10 years in force, the current legislation shows “some gaps that require strengthening state sovereignty over mineral resources” and calls for the capacity “to fully capture revenues” from their exploitation.
Generally, the changes reserve exclusive rights over strategic minerals for the National Mining Company (ENM) and strengthen state participation in prospecting, research, exploration, processing, and marketing, while improving the monitoring and traceability of mining activities.
The proposal includes prospecting and research licences for two to five renewable years and mining concessions for up to 25 extendable years.
It grants rights through public tenders or auctions and offers incentives to process mineral resources within the country.
Additionally, it encourages the inclusion of national companies in the value chain by reserving rights to construction materials and marketing.
"In my inauguration as head of state on 15 January 2025, I made an unequivocal commitment to restructure the mining and oil and gas sectors to transform the country's vast natural resources into effective and lasting engines of economic and social development," Mozambique’s president, Daniel Chapo, said in a letter accompanying the proposal.
"Such a commitment reflects a clear political direction: underground resources must generate wealth that stays in Mozambique, creating jobs, empowering national companies and financing essential public services," he added, acknowledging that the national political and economic context justifies these urgent reforms.
The revision aims to "strengthen state sovereignty over mineral resources" and increase state participation "throughout the mineral resource chain" via ENM that will hold a "minimum percentage of 15% that may increase."
It also aims to "ensure the transformation of mineral resources into finished products in the country through the prohibition of the sale of unprocessed mineral products." This requires "establishing pilot centres for cutting and processing minerals in communities where they can learn by doing the work."
The goal is to “enable added value within the country, which will drive industrialisation and reverse the paradox of being a supplier of raw materials at the expense of industrial development, which remains a challenge,” the document states.
"Reserve exclusivity in the granting of mining rights over strategic minerals to ENM so that it can guarantee a rational management of these resources and select development partners," the proposal adds.
It also aims to "secure greater benefits for local communities through their involvement in mining activities and access to revenues generated by the sector," by creating reserved areas for artisanal mining and introducing two new licences: small-scale mining and artisanal mining.
The law mandates channelling 10% of mining revenues to develop project locations through a dedicated fund. The Mining Regulatory Authority must also create a "unit for monitoring and control to ensure that only Mozambicans or associates with foreigners provide goods and services to mining companies."
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