Zitamar Podcast

Zitamar News
Zitamar Podcast

Understand Mozambique, as expert guests discuss the topics of the day with the team from Zitamar News, the home of intelligent news and analysis on Mozambique. www.zitamar.com

  1. 13/07/2022

    Coal, cotton, fuel price inflation – and the chances of a new debt crisis in Mozambique

    Hello and welcome to the latest Zitamar Podcast, featuring news and views on Mozambique's political and economic outlook, from the Zitamar team and special guests. The news round-up focuses on three big stories from the past week. Contributing editor Fernando Lima provides his take on the fuel price rises and the urban transport strikes that have ensued, and looks at how the government can and should respond to them. He also assesses the likely impact of coal miner Jindal's decision to quit using the Sena rail line to take coal from Tete to the port of Beira, switching instead to its recently acquired export terminal at Nacala. The move is more bad news for Beira and the province of Sofala as a whole. READ: Jindal drops Beira corridor to send all its coal via Nacala (£) Then, Zitamar reporter Tom Gould gives us the inside line on the news that Plexus Cotton is ready to walk away from Cabo Delgado, potentially leaving tens of thousands of farmers broke and angry – the opposite of what the government is trying to achieve in the troubled province. Tom was at the Chatham House meeting where Plexus raised the alarm – though we understand talks are ongoing to keep Plexus' Mozambican operation afloat. READ: Cabo Delgado cotton farmers on the brink as Plexus warns it can't go on This week features an interview with Charlie Robertson (Twitter's @RencapMan) on how Mozambique's high fertility level could be leading the country into another debt crisis — and how the way to escape the trap is to drastically improve levels of education. Charlie is chief economist at Renaissance Capital and has been covering Africa for over 10 years. His new book, The Time-Travelling Economist, brings together much of what he has learned over that period, and the conclusions he has drawn – in particular the key roles of fertility, education, and electricity in determining development outcomes. The book is available to buy on Amazon here, in digital format here, and the whole introduction can be read for free here. The opinion piece which kicked off our conversation is online here: Sociopathic economists and the coming high fertility crisis. Sign up to our newsletter at www.zitamarnews.substack.com, or through our main website www.zitamar.com, to receive this podcast by email, or you can also find us on podcast apps and on Spotify, which is currently perhaps the easiest way of subscribing to the show and making sure you don't miss an episode. Until the next time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zitamarnews.substack.com/subscribe

    27 min
  2. 13/06/2022

    Mozambique joins the UN Security Council; insurgents hit Ancuabe; and a look back at Frelimo's Central Committee

    Welcome to this week's Zitamar Podcast, featuring news and analysis from Zitamar's editor, Tom Bowker, and the Mozambican journalist and pundit Fernando Lima. First, Tom and Fernando discussed the reaction in Mozambique to their election as a non-permanent member to the UN Security Council, an event which has instilled a strong feeling of pride within many Mozambicans. They then turned to news that Cabo Delgado insurgents have extended their offensive into Ancuabe district, the first confirmed attack in the district since the insurgency began four and a half years ago. Fernando and Tom offer their analysis on both the humanitarian consequences of these attacks and the impact to local graphite projects which have been targeted. You can read more here on the Zitamar News website: * Insurgents extend offensive into Ancuabe district * Insurgents behead two workers at Australian mining operation in Ancuabe We also discussed the Frelimo Central Committee meeting that took place a few weeks ago, with questions remaining over whether President Nyusi will be allowed to run for a third term, and the news that South Africa has ruled against extraditing former finance minister Manuel Chang to the USA, rather than Mozambique. Sign up to our newsletter at zitamarnews.substack.com, or through our main website zitamar.com, to receive this podcast by email. You can also find us on podcast apps and on Spotify, probably the easiest way of subscribing to the show and making sure you don't miss an episode. Make sure to share, review and subscribe to the Zitamar Podcast wherever you find it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zitamarnews.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
  3. 30/04/2022

    Mozambique this week: Sovereign savings, East African partners, and a a fossil-fuelled future

    Welcome to this week's Zitamar Podcast, featuring news and analysis from the Zitamar team who discuss the week's most important events. The war in Ukraine has meant talk of a transition away from fossil fuels has taken a back seat — particularly in places like Mozambique, which could be an important provider of coal and gas as western countries stop buying from Russia. Brazilian mining company Vale this week tied up its sale of the Moatize coal mining project to India's Jindal — then revealed that the project had had perhaps its most profitable quarter ever, in Q1 this year. Vale's coal mine turns 38% profit as prices spike ahead of cut-price sale to Jindal A senior official at the energy ministry confirmed Mozambique cannot afford to stop exporting coal — and his boss, minister Max Tonela, said the gas industry will bring new opportunities. We should soon hear from the IMF about its outlook for the Mozambican economy, but all the signs are that it sees gas as crucial to Mozambique's future. One way the gas revenues can affect the future of Mozambique is through the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund — and one of the conversations you'll hear in this podcast is with sovereign wealth fund expert Andrew Bauer, on the pitfalls Mozambique needs to look out for if it goes down that road. This section starts on 15:51 minutes. Tanzania is also looking to get its dormant LNG project off the ground, something that will play in to increasingly complex relationships between Mozambique and its neighbours in East Africa and the Great Lakes. In the wake of President Nyusi's trip to Uganda this week, we spoke to Peter Bofin of the Cabo Ligado project to try and unpick the different dynamics at play. Peter's interview begins at 33:33. But we start off with a look back at the week's political and economic developments, with Zitamar editor Tom Bowker, and Mozambican journalist Fernando Lima. Sign up to our newsletter at zitamarnews.substack.com, or through our main website www.zitamar.com, to receive this podcast by email, or you can also find us on podcast apps and on Spotify, which is currently perhaps the easiest way of subscribing to the show and making sure you don't miss an episode. RECENT POSTS * Eight consortia vie for Mphanda Nkuwa megaproject * Vale's coal mine turns 38% profit as prices spike ahead of cut-price sale to Jindal * Mozambique and Malawi plan joint infrastructure projects This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zitamarnews.substack.com/subscribe

    44 min

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Understand Mozambique, as expert guests discuss the topics of the day with the team from Zitamar News, the home of intelligent news and analysis on Mozambique. www.zitamar.com

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