district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of
Nampula Province
Nampula is a province of northern Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 5,758,920, making it the most populous province in Mozambique (2017 census). Nampula is the capital of the province.
History
Under Portuguese rule this provinc ...
in north-eastern
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
Vasco de Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link ...
in 1498, and according to local oral tradition, the Archipelago of Angoche, made up of several islands, was inhabited by a community that was part of the Swahili, on the East African coast. The dominant groups in the region, the Anhapakhos, were members of the Shiraz family, which allegedly reached the islands of Angoche and Quiloa Island (in present-day
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
) whose sultans were also Shirazis, originating from the port of
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...
, located on the Persian coast of the Sea Red. One of the founders of the reigning family of the Sultanate of Angoche was Hasani, who died at sea and was buried on the island that was later named after him, Kisiwa Sultani Hasani (known as Ilha de Mafamede by the Portuguese). According to Duarte Barbosa, who wrote in 1508, the habits, customs and language of the inhabitants of the islands of Angoche were similar to those of the Ilha de Moçambique.
At the time of the arrival of the first Islamic explorers, whom the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
called “''Moors''”, the ''Marundos'' peoples, descendants of the Amacúas, already inhabited the lands of Angoche. According to oral accounts, this people had already been constituted before the first Bantu incursion. The story goes that two important men with the names Mussa and Hassan, accompanied by their relatives and slaves, left
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...
following religious differences and headed for and settled in Ilha de Moçambique. One day, Hassan, intending to reach the mainland of
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, in the Angoche Bay region, was surprised by a strong storm, ending up losing his life when he fell into the sea. Hassan was buried in the nearest place which was the Mafamede island. Notifying Mussa of Hassan's death, he went to the site to see Hassan's tomb, having boarded the village of ''Mialule'', now ''Melule''. Arrived at Mafamede where Hassan had been buried and, having Mussa liked the place, there he left his son Xosa who chose Muchelele, a place close to Hassan's tomb, to establish his residence and where he started to govern with the title of Sultan. They are some of Xosa's children who give rise to the population of Catamoio which, in turn, gives rise to the Village of Angoche.
Portuguese colonial and occupation resistance
In 1863, the land was conquered from the Portuguese by Sultan Mussa, supported by slave traders. Until the mid-19th century, the Portuguese were unable to control or settle on the islands or mainland of Angoche. The situation changed when one of the members of the royal family of the Angoche Islands, Mussa Mohammad Sahib Quanto (d. 1879), decided to attack the deadlines of Macanja da Costa, belonging to the Silva brothers, because of the dispute over the control of the roads of flow of slaves from the interior to the coast.
The Portuguese went to support the da Silvas and a small military detachment of about twenty elements came to occupy the island in 1861, together with João Bonifácio da Silva, one of the Silva brothers. The pleasure people, after taking revenge on the Anhapakhos, had no interest in settling on the islands and returned to their land. Consequently, Mussa Quanto recovered the island, where he was installed as sultan and the few Portuguese present were expelled. From the beginning of the "effective occupation" of Africa, which had a decisive start in 1895, the islands of Angoche suffered repeated assaults by the Portuguese. Then the other member of the Angoche royal family, Omar bin Nacogo Farallahi (known as Farelay by the Portuguese), along with Sultan Ibrahim and his allies, the mainland Macuas, led the resistance that lasted until 1910, when Massano de Amorim and other Portuguese officers managed to conquer the region militarily.
After taking the island in 1861, the Portuguese created the modern settlement (decree dated 05.07.1865), whose charter was approved in the mid-twentieth century (Ordinance No. 11.585 of 04.08.1956, when the town was supplied with water). The evolution of the administrative process of Angoche then went through the following stages throughout the 19th century: seat of circumscription on July 30, 1921, and county seat on October 31, 1934; it elevated the village on December 19, 1934, and the city on September 26, 1970. Although the Portuguese continued to administer the region from one of the islands of Angoche (Quiloa), there was already a small Portuguese population in Parapato, in part mainland.
From the beginning of the 1930s, at the time of the Estado Novo, the mainland Angoche region became one of the centers of cashew and rice production, in addition to traditional fishing, which already existed on the coast. The Portuguese identified the Puli area, where the Africans lived, as the best continental part of Parapato. Consequently, the Africans were resettled in the Bairro de Inguri, created at this time, and in Puli the European masonry village called António Enes was built. The urban evolution can be followed through the municipal edition Planta da Vila de António Enes (esc. 1/5,000), dated 1958, in which the elementary grid that makes up the town on the coast is drawn. The 20th century urbanization plans or studies date from 1924, 1932 and 1965 (the latter being authored by the architect Bernardino Ramalhete and revised by Hidrotécnica Portuguesa in 1972). In 1968 and 1972, the colonial government, concerned about the spread of liberation movements in northern Mozambique, carried out several measures aimed at winning Muslims to its side, although many of them were also related to the policies of decentralization of the Portuguese government from 1971, which allowed the channeling of new funds to the colonies. This resulted in an improvement in the quality of life of the African population, including basic sanitation and the construction of masonry neighborhoods for Africans, including the Bairro de Inguri, in the city of Angoche. At the same time, the Portuguese government restored some important historic mosques and built new ones, such as the Mosque of Catamoio, on one of the islands of Angoche, inaugurated by General
Kaúlza de Arriaga
Kaúlza de Oliveira de Arriaga, OA, GCC, OC, OIH (18 January 1915 – 2 February 2004) was a Portuguese general, writer, professor and politician. He was Secretary of State (junior minister) of the Air Force between 1953 and 1955 and commande ...
in 1971. Monuments and Statues The Monument to António is highlighted Enes, simple bust on a pedestal, in front of the City Hall (built before 1954). It was built as a "homage to the population of the county", as one could read in the inscription on its base, which consists of a prismatic stone volume with two buttresses, also in stone, on each side.
Angoche was one of the most important socio-economic centers in the region. With the proclamation of National Independence, in February 1976, the city of António Enes was renamed Angoche. In 1997 the city is elevated to the category of City Municipality, under Law 10/97 of 31 May.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
Nampula
Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, approx ...
towards the northern coastal region of Zambézia, including the coastal districts of Angoche, Larde, Moma and
Pebane
Pebane is a town and transshipment port in Mozambique in the Zambezia Province. The port is in the estuary of the Rio Moniga.
Pebane is a transhipment port for copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coco ...
, the average annual rainfall returns to values between 800 and 1,000 mm, although the potential evapotranspiration is higher than the 1,500 mm. The
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...
is generally above 20 °C.
The coastal plains in the region are dissected by some rivers that ascend from the coast to the interior, gradually passing to a more dissected relief with more steep slopes in between, from the transitional subplateau zone to the coastal zone. This zone corresponds to the coastal area of the province. It is characterized by its sandy soils, washed to moderately washed, predominantly yellow to greyish-brown, whether in the inland sandy cover (Ferralic Arenosols) or in the coastal sandy dunes (Haplic Arenosols), and also by the soils of the strip of coastal
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
, from sandy to loam sandy clay loam with orange color (Ferralic Arenosols). The hydromorphic sandy soils of depressions and lows alternate with the higher ground parts (Gleyic Arenosols).
Demographics
The following statistics are from the 2017 census.
Population and density
In the 2017 census the population has increased to 341,176 with the rise of density to 101.8 inhabitants per km2.
In 2007, the Census indicated total population of 276 471 residents. The population density was around 92.59 inhabitants per km2. According to the 1997 Census, the district had 228,526 inhabitants, resulting in a population density of 76.5 inhabitants per km2.
Aube
Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),Boila-Nametoria and Namaponda. These posts are, in turn, composed of the following localities.
Political leadership / government
The district government is represented by an Administrator, which is the highest local government rank. Since 1975, 9 District Administrators have been appointed by different Mozambique Presidents:
* (2021 - ) Bernardo Alide
* (2015 - 2021) Rodrigo Artur Ussene
* (2009 - 2016) Fonseca Etide
* (2005 - 2009) José Carlos Amade
Economy
Agriculture, livestock and fishery
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
is one of the most dominant activity in Angoche and involves almost all households. In general,
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
is practiced manually on a small scale farms or family farms.
The farm
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
mechanism is based on the intercropping of local
crop
A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...
s. Agricultural production is predominantly done under rainfed conditions, not always successful, as the risk of crop loss is high, given the low moisture storage capacity in the soil during the growing period of the crops. There are also small irrigation infrastructures with the capacity to carry out surface irrigation and dams with the potential to irrigate small agricultural areas. The coastal strip is dominated by the production system based on the cultivation of
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
cowpea
The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus ''Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few inputs, ...
and
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...
. Upland
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
is the crop produced in the alluvial plains of the main rivers that drain the coast and estuarine plains, and is normally produced in
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
s prepared for this purpose.
It is also worth mentioning the importance of coconut and cashew trees in the coastal zone's production system, either as a product that guarantees food security or as a source of income for rural families. The cashew agroforestry system is the most representative, even becoming dominant. The most important intercropping of cashew, comprises crops such as
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
and corn, following the traditional pattern of rotation and fallow in the medium and long term, depending heavily on the age of the cashew trees and their productivity. A peculiarity of the area is that practically all the
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
is within the cashew tree area. The coconut palm in the province has a wide distribution towards the interior. It was only in 2003, after the period of drought and drought that followed and the rehabilitation of some infrastructures, that farming in the district was timidly restarted and production levels recovered. Livestock promotion in the district has been weak. However, given the tradition in raising cattle and some existing infrastructure, there was some growth in the livestock population.
Due to limited
investing
Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort.
In finance, the purpose of investing i ...
and
financing
Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...
mechanism the
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...
is not well developed, although the existence of
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...
areas. Lack of extension services is also one of the main obstacles to its development.
Mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
trees are used for firewood and building material. The
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
is struggling with
erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...
problems. Wildlife is an important
food supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
for local families. Among the most hunted species are rabbits,
gazelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...
s and
guinea fowl
Guineafowl (; sometimes called "pet speckled hens" or "original fowl") are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched o ...
. In addition to the species already mentioned, the wildlife in the district also includes antelopes and monkeys.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
in the district is more focused on shrimp, to the detriment of other species and valuable resources consisting of lobster, squid, octopus and crab. There are two fishing companies in the district, Pesca Norte and Mawipi Pescas.
Commerce, industries and tourism
The Angoche district already had a very important agro-industry activity. Today, of the 12 companies in the district's industrial park, only 3 are operational. The small local industry (fishing, carpentry and handicraft) appears as an alternative to agricultural activity, or extension of its activity. The district has a total of 22 small industries. The district has access to an extensive network of markets, due to its road links with
Nampula
Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, approx ...
and the Nacala corridor, and the existence of the port in Angoche. Traders from
Nampula
Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, approx ...
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
come to the district to buy local products. The district has excellent areas for
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
, including the following: Praia Nova, 7 km from the city of Angoche; Monte Parapato, Praia da Rocha, Quelelene Island, Mafamede Island, among others. Other local attractions to mention are the Municipal Cemetery, Campo do Sultão Hassane Yossufo, the Cadeia Civil Building, the Sangaje lighthouse and the Luís de Gonzaga Church in Malatane.
Mineral resources
Like other districts in the country, Angoche has enormous potential in different types of mineral resources, among others. Since colonial times, Angoche has been the target of prospecting, research and geological mapping programs in order to identify its potential.
According to the geological studies, Angoche has huge quantities of heavy (
Zircon
Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of t ...
,
Ilmenite
Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printing ...
,
Rutile
Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite.
Rutile has one of the highest refractive indices at visib ...
, titanium) minerals deposits along of its coastal plain. This mineral are currently been explored by a consortium of companies from China,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. And as per mining catalogue (2021), except 1 for the
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
exploration license, most of them (16) are designated for heavy mineral exploration. Although there are many companies in exploration and licensing phase, its importante to mention one of the key players exploring and producing the heavy sands in Angoche district are Kenmare Resources (An Irish-American Enterprise), África Great Wall Mining Development Co(Chinese), a subsidiary of Hainan Haiyu Mining Co. Ltd.
Oil and gas
Following the public tender launched by
INP
Indium phosphide (InP) is a binary semiconductor composed of indium and phosphorus. It has a face-centered cubic (" zincblende") crystal structure, identical to that of GaAs and most of the III-V semiconductors.
Manufacturing
Indium phosphide c ...
in October 2014, for the concession of areas for exploration and production of hydrocarbons, 2 offshore blocks was awarded in October 2018 to multinational oil companies. Area A5-A awarded to a consortium led by Eni 34.5%(
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
), in partnership with,
Sasol
Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company based in Sandton, South Africa. The company was formed in 1950 in Sasolburg, South Africa and built on processes that were first developed by German chemists and engineers in the early ...
25.5% (
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
),
QatarEnergy
QatarEnergy ( ar, قطر للطاقة), formerly Qatar Petroleum (QP), is a state owned petroleum company of Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas activities in Qatar, including exploration, production, refining, transport, and storage. The ...
25.5% (
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
); while the deeper Area A5-B was awarded to ExxonMobil 40% (
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
),
QatarEnergy
QatarEnergy ( ar, قطر للطاقة), formerly Qatar Petroleum (QP), is a state owned petroleum company of Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas activities in Qatar, including exploration, production, refining, transport, and storage. The ...
10% (
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
). Along the 8 years of exploration period, the companies are obliged to implement exploration programs with consists of shooting 3D seismic surveys of 8,000 km2 from each area and undertake at least 1 exploration drilling activities in each area before any surrender and abandonment. According to local authorities, the preliminary studies indicate that the offshore Angoche is an oil-rich province, for this reason the local communities, provincial and central government is very positive about the project.
In 2019, both Eni and ExxonMobil along with environmental consulting companies have visited the districts and neighboring regions in order to fulfil all the requirements for environmental permit for drilling activities to take place in Q1 2022.
Sustainability
Firewood and charcoal are the most used energy sources.