New presidential palace in Maputo

Building funded with loan from China

Mozambican president Armando Guebuza inaugurated the nation's new presidential palace on 24 January.
The two-storey complex overlooks Maputo Bay and is substantially larger than the previous Palácio da Ponta Vermelha where the Mozambican president normally receives visiting dignatories.

It was built over 18 months by Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation (AFECC), the Chinese state company responsible for the domestic and international terminals at Maputo airport as well as the National Stadium.

The building was funded with a loan from the Chinese government although Mozambican authorities have not revealed the costs involved.
The peach-coloured palace contains boasts crystal chandeliers, spacious marble interiors and an opulent banqueting hall.
During the inauguration Guebuza called the complex "another testimony to the friendship and cooperation between the people of Mozambique and the people of China."

However the incumbent president only has a matter of months to use the new building; the country's presidential, parliamentary and regional assembly elections take place in October, and Guebuza is forbidden by law from seeking a third term of office.