All Mozambique needs is a healthy dose of sunshine. The future plans of the Mozambican government for the Zambezi Valley include another large hydropower facility at Mphanda Nkuwa, which project proponents claim will bring development to the area and help fight poverty through hopedfor trickledown effects (UTIP, 2002). However, if Mozambique and the dams potential funders fail to follow the guidelines laid down by the World Commission on Dams (WCD) the dam may end up causing more harm than good. The design requirements of the proposed Mphanda Nkuwa Dam will result in significant fluctuations in river flow downstream of the dam, which will have serious negative impacts on the ecology, wildlife and human settlements that depend on the river. The twice daily fluctuations in river flow will range in height: from 2.80m in the spillway, to 50cm in Tete city, situated 70km downstream of the proposed dam wall. Thus the dam will infringe upon the rights of a significant number of people. Such rights include suitable and acceptable access to water, fishing, safe canoe travel and flood recession agriculture (UTIP, 2002) Currently Cahora Bassa's capacity of 2075 MW is, in principle, sufficient to supply the electricity needs of all of Mozambique, yet the dam continues to operate at well below this output. This is in large part due to the fact that 95% of Mozambicans have no access to electricity as they are unable or unwilling (or both) to afford the associated costs. Thus much of the power produced at Cahora Bassa is currently being exported, at below market price, to South Africa. At the same time reduced river flow, downstream of Cahora Bassa, has decimated the once-lucrative shrimp fisheries of the Zambezi delta, depriving local fishermen of their livelihood and reducing a valuable source of foreign exchange. The independent World Commission on Dams was tasked with addressing the contentious issues surrounding large scale dam building. In its final report, the WCD, recommend a set of standards describing “international best practice” for planning and building large dams. A priority in the WCD guidelines is the proper consultation with affected parties to allow for transparency and equity in the decisionmaking process. We at Justiçe Ambiental! (JA!) have been pressing for a multistakeholder process to discuss the WCD guidelines in the Mozambican context, and to more immediately address the shortcomings of the Mphanda Nkuwa planning process in light of the WCD´s recommendations. JA! has also been attempting to analyse the sociological and environmental impacts of the proposed dam, as well the energy needs of the region, with a particular focus on the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). This has not been an easy task as the last piece of documentation made available to the public regarding the construction of Mphanda Nkuwa was The Feasibility Study from 2002, and the last public statement made by government officials was made in 2003. This statement failed to mention the ‘stage’ the developmental process had reached regarding the construction of the dam and implementation of the project. Given the many pressing issues surrounding Mozambique’s development and the constant threat of corruption – which is considered, by Transparency International, to be rampant regarding large scale infrastructure projects such as large dams – Mozambique’s developmental path needs a full airing and discussion by the general public. The public’s concerns should in fact be the driving force in prioritising developmental choices. This is especially so for those communities who will be directly affected and who stand to suffer great losses should the construction of the dam go ahead. Thus we urge potential developers, funders and backers of the dam to respect due process and make available the requested documentation and information. We close with the sentiments of Peter Bosshard from the International Rivers Network (IRN) who stated in a recent report by Transparency International that “sunlight is the best disinfectant for corruption” as “complete transparency is needed to discourage fraudulent practices in the process of assessing the needs and options of infrastructure development. Parliaments and civil society organisations must hold governments and
financial institutions accountable for their decisions even during the early planning stages of infrastructure development.” Mozambique’s energy development process would be greatly improved by a healthy dose of sunshine.