NGOs suggest Nyusi's ties with UAE royal family may have influenced Maputo Port concession extension
The non-governmental organizations Centro de Integridade Pública (CIP) and Centro para Democracia e Direitos Humanos (CDD) suggest that the relationship between Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and the royal family of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have facilitated the 25-year extension of the concession for the management of the Maputo Port to Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), valid until 2058.
Both organizations find it unusual that the current government, nearing the end of its term, decided to extend the concession period, originally set to expire in 2033. They raise concerns about potential illicit practices benefiting the presidential family and other political elites with interests in MPDC, including former President Armando Guebuza, his wife Maria de Luz Guebuza, senior Frelimo figure Teodato Hunguana, former CFM Chairman Miguel Matabel, Mário Graça Machungo, and António Magaia of Sociedade Moçambicana de Estivas, where Filipe Nyusi is a partner.
The CIP urges the Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate Nyusi's trips to the UAE between 2022 and 2023, suspecting these visits may be connected to the subsequent concession extension in 2024.
The CDD recalls that in October 2022, Nyusi made a controversial trip to the UAE with his eldest son Jacinto Nyusi, visiting several locations, including port infrastructures managed by DP World, part of the consortium managing the Port of Maputo. The concession to MPDC was initially granted in April 2003 for 15 years, with an extension option for another 15 years, and was later extended in June 2010 for 15 more years, with an option for another 10 years post-2033.
Given the existing conditions for MPDC to operate without concerns, the NGOs suspect that the extension of the Maputo Port management period might have been negotiated during these trips, potentially resulting in direct benefits to the presidential family, reminiscent of the hidden debts scandal.
Besides the presidential family, other political elites with interests in MPDC may also benefit from corruption. MPDC, a private company, has stakeholders like the state-owned Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) and "Portus Indico," composed of "Grindrod," DP World, and Moçambique Gestores.
In Moçambique Gestores' shareholder structure, which owns only three percent of MPDC's shares, prominent names in the national political elite appear, including Armando Guebuza, Maria de Luz Guebuza, Teodato Hunguana, Miguel Matabel, Mário Graça Machungo, and António Magaia of Sociedade Moçambicana de Estivas, where Nyusi is a partner.
The NGOs also suggest that Nyusi's government decision benefits António Magaia, his partner in SOMOESTIVA, indirectly translating into gains for the current President.
