As Coal Boosts Mozambique, the Rural Poor are left Behind

Many people of the country of Mozambique (located in Southeast Africa) thought that they would finally be able to get occupations as miners instead of scraping by as subsistence farmers.  Many also thought that the projected wealth that has "propelled Mozambique from its war-addled past to its newfound status as one of the fastest-growing economies would be theirs."  Unfortunately, instead of being able to seize this "miracle growth," families were relocated 25 miles away from the mine, living in crumbling houses and far from jobs the mine would have created.  Mozambique is known to be one of the poorest nations in the world having also suffered through a 16-year civil war.  However, despite all of this, it is among the "African Lions", "countries that are growing at well above 6 percent annually, even amid the global downturn."  According to the World Bank estimates, gas projects could bring in as much as $70 billion, driven by Mozambique's vast deposits of coal.  But, far from economic centers of power, dependent on subsistence farming, and ignored by their government leaves rural families continuing to suffer.  Some are very optimistic that the level of poverty will decrease, but despite Mozambique's rapid growth in the past couple of decades, the country "remains near dead last on the Human Development Index."

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Amanda Ngo