Nhamirre said the decision was not a sound macroeconomic choice and argued that Mozambique needed to preserve gas income for future generations. Nhamirre also questioned the government’s explanation for the shift in spending priorities.
According to Nhamirre, the timing of the decision does not support the government’s stated rationale. Nhamirre said damage linked to post-election protests dates back almost a year, raising questions over why gas revenue is being redirected now rather than at the time of the destruction.
Nhamirre said the decision appeared to be an excuse to use gas revenues for current pressures in the state budget, including salaries and other daily government expenses, at a time of financial difficulty.
Nhamirre also referred to figures previously provided by the government on reconstruction needs and said the amount approved in the amended budget was higher than the amount earlier said to be required for rebuilding damaged infrastructure. Nhamirre said no clear rationale had been provided for committing funding now to infrastructure damaged in December 2024.
On the effect of damaged infrastructure on trade, Nhamirre said roads had been affected, but added that road conditions had already been poor before the post-election protests and before the cyclone. Nhamirre said the damage did not involve major infrastructure such as ports or bridges and did not appear serious enough to jeopardise business activity.
That assessment, Nhamirre said, reinforced concern that the redirected gas revenue may not be used mainly for infrastructure rehabilitation.
Nhamirre said Mozambique did need to invest in infrastructure, including corridors linking the country to neighbouring states and the main road connecting provinces from north to south. However, Nhamirre said infrastructure recovery should not come at the expense of healthcare, education and security.
As an alternative, Nhamirre called for cuts in government spending on senior officials, including ministers and other high-level office bearers. Nhamirre said too much public money was being spent on top-level personnel while ordinary citizens continued to face poor conditions in health, education and transport.
Nhamirre said Mozambique needed a more careful balance between rebuilding infrastructure and protecting long-term development priorities.
–ChannelAfrica–
