High import taxes discussed in Maputo

The Forum for Energies and Sustainable Development of Mozambique (FEDESMO) trough LIVANINGO, KULIMA and ADEL-SOFALA, organized a reflection workshop about investments in small scale clean and renewable energy systems, that took place on May 10, in Maputo, Mozambique.

This workshop had the objective to reflect about the opportunities and challenges for investment in small scale clean and renewable energy systems, namely sharing of experiences between the participants about policies, strategies and plans for import tax reduction for energy equipment’s leading to the promotion of investments in renewable resources in rural communities in Mozambique.

The FEDESMO President, Hamid Taybo, noted that 75 per cent of the population still doesn’t have access to electricity so it is necessary to find the alternatives to tackle the deficit, for which fotovoltaic systems can be the answer, especially in rural areas.

Hamid Taybo, also added that the import taxes for renewable energy systems and the related components, can reach as high as 30 per cent of the acquisition cost, resulting in a commercial price not accessible to most of the population.

The workshop had the presence of representatives from civil society, private sector, academia, consulting companies and the Government. The program was divided in two panels, the first about Expansion of the renewable energy market in Mozambique, which addressed the need for market expansion, the energy potential and the importance of renewables in Mozambican economy. The second panel discussed the sustainable energy policies in Mozambique.