News

Southern Africa's energy shortage was dramatically illustrated on Friday when power supplies were interrupted to aluminium smelters (including the MOZAL smelter on the outskirts of Maputo) and other key industries, because storms knocked out power supplies from the Cahora Bassa dam on the Zambezi.

The new curriculum for basic education is not to blame for the poor performance of pupils in Mozambican schools, according to Joaquim Matavele, the assistant director of the National Institute for the Development of Education, cited in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

The network of United Nations agencies in Mozambique has expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the Mozambican government in the promotion of good governance and development of the country.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Monday sent a warm message to his predecessor, Joaquim Chissano, congratulating him on the award of the first Mo Ibrahim Foundation Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

Former Mozambican President, Joaquim Chissano, has won the first Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

Mozambique's press freedom ranking, according to the Worldwide Press Freedom Index, published by the Paris-based press freedom body, Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF - Reporters without Borders), has fallen sharply this year.

The Mozambican government signed an agreement in Maputo on Wednesday with the company Ayr Logistica Limitada, under which this company will invest five billion US dollars to build an oil refinery in Nacala-a-Velha, in the northern province of Nampula.

The Japanese government has approved funding of about 83,000 US dollars for a professional education project in Mozambique, to be implemented by the Maputo General Union of Cooperatives (UGC).

The Mozambican chapter of MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) has once again urged the country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, to pass a law on freedom of information, guaranteeing access to public sources of information.

From the beginning of 2006 up to the first half of 2007, 203 million dollars was invested in the Mozambican mining sector, according to the National Director of Mines, Fatima Momade, cited in Friday's issue of the independent newsheet "Mediafax".