On Tuesday, July 23, the Mozambican government announced the resignation of Marcelino Gildo Alberto as chairman of the board of directors of Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM). Joaquim Henriques Ou-chim, the current executive director for electrification, was appointed to replace Alberto as head of the state-owned company.
The decision was taken during an ordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers, according to a statement released this morning. The communiqué only reported on the resignation of Marcelino Gildo Alberto and the appointment of Joaquim Henriques Ou-chim to the post.
In May, the Lusa news agency reported that EDM recorded profits in 2023, for the third consecutive year, although these fell by 7.5% compared to 2022, totaling 4.8 billion meticais (76.4 million dollars). EDM’s annual report reveals that the company’s turnover grew by 14% in 2023, reaching 53.1 billion meticais (843.8 million dollars). In addition, the level of losses, mainly due to energy theft, fell by two percentage points to 26% of total production.
EDM pointed out that the reduction in losses was the most significant in the last four years and had a positive impact on the increase in the company’s revenue. “This reduction has had an impact on the increase in the company’s revenue and responds to the challenge set by the government to improve operational excellence,” said EDM’s statement.
Despite the growth in revenues, the state-owned electricity company’s profits, which more than doubled in 2022 to 5.2 billion meticais (82.7 million dollars), fell in 2023. Marcelino Gildo Alberto, then chairman of EDM’s board of directors, acknowledged that last year’s results reflect the challenges faced by the company in a volatile and uncertain context, affected by macroeconomic indicators and climate change.
The outgoing chairman also noted that EDM continues to face losses due to the vandalization of electrical infrastructure and energy theft. “These acts delay the fulfillment of our goals, especially universal access to energy by 2030. We reiterate our call for community vigilance and the denunciation of these illicit practices,” warned Alberto. He also emphasized that EDM will maintain a strict stance against any acts of corruption and involvement of workers in illicit practices.
