On Friday, Mozambican non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called it "urgent" for parliament to approve a sovereign wealth fund to channel revenues from gas from the Rovuma basin, the first export of which began on the 13th.

"The entry of the sovereign fund is urgent, it must be implemented quickly," said Stiven Ferrão, advocacy manager at the Association for Support and Legal Assistance to Communities (AAAJC).

Ferrão was speaking to journalists during a seminar on transparency in the extractive industry, held in the city of Xai-Xai, the capital of Gaza province.

Noting that the proposal to set up the sovereign wealth fund has already been deposited in parliament, the activist stressed that transferring natural gas revenues to a specific account would guarantee greater transparency.

"Let these revenues be used responsibly and transparently to generate wealth for the well-being of Mozambicans," he emphasized.

Stiven Ferrão noted that the sovereign wealth fund is designed to receive profits from the exploitation of other natural resources, not just gas.

He criticized the fact that the proposal for a sovereign wealth fund submitted by the Mozambican government to parliament guarantees little representation of civil society, which, in his opinion, reduces the mechanism's supervisory capacity.

For his part, Germano Brujane, program officer at Kuwuka - Youth, Development and Environmental Advocacy, regretted that the export of natural gas had started without the sovereign wealth fund being in place.

"We had hoped that this process would start with the sovereign wealth fund in place, but nothing is lost and we believe that we will soon have the fund," said Brujane, quoted by Lusa.

He also criticized the "small and limited" representation of civil society in the model proposed by the government, considering that it reduces the capacity for independent oversight of the instrument.

"We are asking for more space for civil society, academics and other important players to have their say," he said.

Germano Brujane defended the sound management of revenues from natural resources in order to ensure investment in infrastructure, with the potential to multiply the economy, and reduce the budget deficit.

On the 13th, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, announced the start of the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Rovuma basin, in the Coral South Project.

"Today, Mozambique enters the annals of world history as one of the exporting countries of liquefied natural gas, which in addition to representing an alternative source of supply, contributes greatly to energy security in the countries with the highest consumption," said Filipe Nyusi, in a statement to the nation.

Of the three liquefied natural gas projects approved for the northern region of Mozambique, the Coral Sul platform, in the open sea, far from the armed violence in Cabo Delgado, will be the first to export the reserves, which will be shipped out on the British Sponsor cargo ship.