Mozambique, among the poorest of countries, sits atop the world’s ninth-largest natural gas reserves. Discovered nearly a decade ago off the coast of the northern province of Cabo Delgado, these reserves have been a honeypot, attracting foreign companies and investors, and hold the tantalizing possibility of generating enough income to push the southern African nation into the ranks of the middle-income countries.
But there’s a big catch. Environmental campaigners say gas development will do more harm than good, contributing to climate change and uprooting villagers in an area beset by under-reported violent conflict due to Islamist militancy. As extraction projects accelerate in Mozambique, questions about who actually profits from resource wealth also intensify.
