TIPS Project | Stories of Change
Local Communities Compensated by Mining Company After Lobbying Actions
Local communities in Benga, Moatize district in Tete province have lost their land as a result of the development of the mega coal mine in the area. Communities are using negotiation approaches such as dialogue and lobbying to persuade the government authorities and the mining company to resolve their concerns.
Through the local Natural Resource Management Committee, the communities have been successful in negotiating with the mining companies, Minas de Benga Lda and ICV Zambeze Lda, owned by International Coal Ventures Limited, to compensate the 25 familieis of Benga for the land it had been taken from them.
Domingos Salé, chairman of the Committee, believes that the result of the negotiation is due to the activities under the ‘Towards Peaceful and Inclusive Societies in Mozambique’ (TIPS) project, whos approach is to build peace through the governance and inclusive management of natural resources within Mozambique.
“Mutual learning between communities, civil society, the private sector, and the authorities is a win-win for everyone and a contribution to the development process. Strengthening the leadership and capacities of civil socieity to prevent and resolve conflicts through dialogue and the inclusion of diverse stakeholders at all levels in the community is one of the best strategies for preventing and managing conflicts, especially those arising from the mining of natural resources.”
Domingos Salé, chairman of the local natural resources management committee.
Despite success in negotiating with the coal mines, the Benga community still faces problems arising from land grabbing by mining companies looking to begin business within Tete province. In addition to the influx of mining companies, individuals often take advantage of the fragility of the communities by taking over the land with promises of compensation, which often do not actualize.
Recently, after the capacity building training conducted by the TIPS project on lobbying actions, and connecting the trainees with paralegals, the local National Resource Management Committee has submitted a case to the Justice Authorities against the former governor of Tete Province, Virgilio Ferrão, who allegedly illegally grabbed more than 150 hectares of farming land which belonged to the communities. The communities are empowered to continue their efforts in preventing conflicts and building peace, ensuring rights and justice for all.
About the TIPS Project
‘Towards an Inclusive and Peaceful Society in Mozambique‘ (TIPS) is a European Union-funded project implemented between January 2021 to December 2023, which seeks to contribute to conflict prevention, crisis preparedness and response, and peacebuilding through an inclusive nautral resources governance and management in Mozambique. The project is implemented by a consortium of actors comprised of Finn Church Aid and the Peacemakers Network, Institute of Social and Economic Studies (Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Económicos-IESE) and the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (Instituto para a Democracia Multipartidaria) in collaboration with the Council of Religions in Mozambique (Conselho das Religiões em Moçambique – COREM).
Follow the Network on social