Maputo’s steel rolling mill, paralysed for almost a decade, has resumed production, though on an experimental scale Mill owners Arcelor-Mittal, the world’s largest steel company, has promised to invest US$11 million in the mill (in addition to the purchase price of the once state-owned enterprise). The director of the factory, Jose Marques, said the company would produce 35,000 tonnes of steel a year, mostly steel rods for use in the construction industry. The Minister of Industry and Trade, Antonio Fernando, visited the rolling mill on Friday and declared his satisfaction at the resumption of activities. “I saw that the factory is producing on an experimental basis, and there’s a guarantee that next month it will be formally inaugurated,” he said. Some of the steel rods will be sold to local construction companies, while others will be exported, mostly to South Africa. Currently, the steel mill employs 83 workers, a number that is expected to rise as full production resumes. Panapress.
