Zitamar News

Good afternoon. The Bank of Mozambique reminded lenders this week that they can freeze an account when they have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud, money laundering or terrorist financing. They do not need to wait for a court order. The power is not new. It comes from laws passed in 2022 and 2024. But the central bank’s decision to publicise it may encourage banks to use it more often. The full Daily Briefing continues below for Pro subscribers.

Good afternoon and welcome to the delayed Zitamar Daily Briefing for 1 October, 2026. Mozambique’s Constitutional Council has awarded four vehicle contracts worth MZN49.5m (about $775,000). On 1 October, hours after the awards drew public criticism, the finance ministry suspended the procurement, citing “indications” of acts that breach the public contracting rules and three other regulations.

TotalEnergies is considering accelerating a second phase of Mozambique LNG, while environmental and human-rights groups are urging its prospective shipping partners to withhold orders for vessels intended to carry the project’s gas. Total chief executive Patrick Pouyanné said on Monday that the company could speed up expansion by retaining construction teams at Afungi and accessing additional gas resources through arrangements involving ExxonMobil’s neighbouring project.

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Good morning and welcome to yesterday’s newsletter. Frelimo's leadership has been clearer about where members may criticise the party than about how it will punish those who buy votes. In Nampula on Monday, secretary-general Chakil Aboobacar condemned payments to secure positions in internal elections. During the same visit, he confirmed that governor Eduardo Abdula had been reprimanded for taking his complaints about interference into the public arena.

The Bank of Mozambique today kept its benchmark MIMO interest rate at 9.25% at the first monetary policy committee (CPMO) meeting under new governor Felisberto Dinis Navalha, while announcing a lending incentive for companies that replace imports or increase exports. This post is for paying subscribers only Subscribe now Already have an account? Sign in Already have an account? Log in

Islamist insurgents captured and killed two civilians near Maputo village, in Mocímboa da Praia district, on Monday 28 September, according to a claim issued by Islamic State yesterday. A local source confirmed to Zitamar that insurgents entered the village on the night of 28 September and abducted some people. The number of abductees remains unclear. Maputo village is about 25km north of Mocímboa da Praia town. This post is for subscribers only

Good afternoon. Waldemar de Sousa lasted less than 24 hours as governor-designate of the Bank of Mozambique. His inauguration was postponed after attention returned to a criminal case opened against him in 2020, and President Daniel Chapo rapidly replaced him. The accusation remained unresolved and Sousa had never been convicted. Vitor Luís Timóteo’s appointment as chairman of the National Petroleum Products Acquisition Company, ENAPP, has caused no comparable reaction.

The government has placed the former head of Frelimo’s investment company in charge of Mozambique’s new state fuel-procurement monopoly, despite the party company’s commercial interests in infrastructure used to store and distribute imported fuel. This post is for paying subscribers only Subscribe now Already have an account? Sign in Already have an account? Log in

Good afternoon. Mozambique’s government wants to triple annual cotton output from roughly 20,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes. A new financing scheme should help farmers obtain seed, other inputs and machinery, reportedly offering more than MZN50m ($780,000) in annual investment through 2029. But the sector’s long decline cannot be explained by credit shortages alone. Farmers must also believe that growing cotton will pay better, and more reliably, than using the same land and labour for another crop.