Mozambique is set to receive more investment in its biofuels sector as Odeveza, a company owned by a group of Canadian and Mozambican firms, is planning on investing $150-million for the production of biodiesel from jatropha over the next six years.
Odeveza said the projects would create about 700 jobs and could make Mozambique one of Africa’s biggest biofuels producers.
"The $150-million investment is aimed at intensive jatropha production for biodiesel extraction in an area of over 70 000 hectares identified in the districts of Barue and Gondola in Manica province and Buzi in Sofala province," company director, Fernando Azevedo told reporters in Maputo.
Mozambique’s government is speeding up the installation of facilities to produce biodiesel extracted from jatropha and more than one deal has been signed over the past year to develop the industry, such as CAMEC’s $510 billion deal to build a plant to produce 120-million liters of ethanol a year by 2010.