Why waste a crisis?
Under the pressure of scandal and renewed conflict, Mozambique’s government is keener than ever to speed up its gas-export project
Mozambique has dropped off the map of investors' favourite frontier markets. It's been a rough year for commodity exporters everywhere, and an especially tough one for southeast Africa, which has been hit by a serious drought. But Mozambique's fall from grace has its own drivers that are impossible to overlook. The first is a return to armed civil conflict. This year is shaping up to be the worst for fighting between the government and opposition group Renamo since a 1992 agreement put an end to their 16-year civil war. International mediators have now joined negotiations in the capital, Maputo, but the conflict-which remains sporadic and low-level-has, if anything, worsened. On top of droug
Also in this section
16 April 2026
Demand for oil is falling because supply cannot meet it, not because it is no longer required
16 April 2026
The continent has an immediate opportunity to make the most of its energy resources by capturing gas that is currently slipping away
15 April 2026
The continent is seeing political pushback to climate plans, corporate reassessment of transition goals and rising supply risk in a fractured global order
15 April 2026
The Middle East energy crisis may turn out to be pivotal to the industry’s long-term expansion, but significant challenges still stand in its way
