MAPUTO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A graphite processing plant invested in and built by a Chinese-funded enterprise was inaugurated on Friday in the Nipepe district of Niassa Province in northern Mozambique.
At the ceremony, Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chapo extended greetings to the representatives of DH Grafite and to the Chinese business community present, commending them for the confidence they have shown in Mozambique and for their concrete commitment to production and local processing.
The project was initiated and invested in by the Chinese company Jinan Yuxiao Group, with a total investment of about 150 million U.S. dollars. It covers mining, beneficiation and processing, and is designed with an annual capacity of 200,000 tonnes of graphite. President Chapo, Mozambican Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Estevao Rafael Pale, and representatives of the Niassa provincial government attended the event.
Chapo said that more than inaugurating a production facility, this occasion celebrates the vision of a country that is moving away from being merely a supplier of raw materials and is instead positioning itself as a producer, processor and exporter of value-added products, thereby creating jobs for its people, generating income for families and bringing development to Mozambique.
During project implementation, the company invested in the construction of a bridge across the Lurio River in Niassa Province and built nearly 100 kilometers of roads, connecting the Nipepe area to the national trunk transport network. About 100 kilometers of 110-kilovolt power transmission lines were also built to provide stable and reliable electricity for local residents and regional development.
Local resident Domingos Yahaia said living conditions in the surrounding communities have improved significantly since the project began. New housing has been built in Nipepe and Maua, relocated families now have safer homes, children can attend new schools, and access to healthcare and public security has also improved.
Wu Tao, chairman of Jinan Yuxiao Group, said the project has employed more than 800 local workers, and with the advancement of the second phase, total employment is expected to exceed 2,000. He added that systematic training programs will be implemented to enhance workers' skills and help improve local incomes and living conditions. ■
