Maputo, Mozambique, 21 Dec – Mozambique and India plan to invest US$10 million in construction of a solar panel factory in the Belulune industrial zone, on the outskirts of Maputo.

Mozambique’s Energy Minister, Salvador Namburete Thursday laid the first stone of the new factory, which is due to be built and in operation within a year.

When it is in full operation the factory will employ 70 people, including 15 engineers, who were trained up in India.

The minister said that initially the material for construction of the panels would be imported from India, but that in a subsequent phase it was expected that those components would be manufactured in Mozambique.

Mozambique imports solar panels, which are used to supply electricity to public buildings such as schools or hospitals, as well as boreholes that are not linked to the national grid.

According to official figures, access to power sources has doubled in Mozambique over the last five years, rising from 7 percent in 2004 to 14 percent currently. (macauhub)