Mozambique looks to harvest energy reserves
Investors pour into country after reserves of natural gas twice the size of Saudi Arabia discovered.
More than half the population of Mozambique’s run-down capital Maputo live in poverty, despite the country being one of the world’s new energy hotspots.
Huge reserves of natural gas have been discovered off the coast, part of an enormous block experts say is twice the size of Saudi Arabia’s.
Investors are already pouring in, a $1bn redevelopment of the waterfront is planned and there could be many more benefits if the government can keep up.
But the government lacks infrastructure and skilled Mozambicans. At the moment the only existing gas plant is run by the South African company Sasol.
Although the vast majority of the gas will be exported, some believe that Africa’s resources should stay in Africa.
Al Jazeera’s Tania Page reports from Maputo.