Manica Province

Manica Province exists because the Chimanimani highlands break the monotony of the Mozambican coastal plain—and because those highlands contained gold that ancient traders extracted centuries before the Portuguese arrived. The province sits astride the Beira Corridor, the railway and road network connecting Zimbabwe's landlocked economy to the sea since the late 19th century. This geographic position made Manica simultaneously a transit zone and a destination: goods flow through to Beira's port while artisanal miners extract what lies beneath.

Over 10,000 garimpeiros (artisanal miners) work Manica's 338 small-scale mining sites, 288 of which remain active. The Fair Bride Gold Project produced 2,600 kg in 2023, but artisanal operations add another 500-1,000 kg—much of it extracted using mercury that contaminates watersheds feeding into agricultural zones. An estimated $50 million in gold is smuggled annually across the Zimbabwe border, undermining tax revenues while sustaining informal economies on both sides.

The Forbes-Machipanda border crossing operates 24 hours since 2024 to accommodate increased traffic, as between 4,000 and 40,000 Zimbabwean migrants have settled in Manica—the disputed range reflecting both economic crisis in Zimbabwe and informal movement patterns that evade census. Agriculture remains the baseline: the high rainfall and mild climate of the highlands support maize, cassava, and tobacco cultivation on small holdings that employ most of the population.

The 2024 post-election unrest disrupted Beira port operations, delaying $50 million in gold exports and demonstrating how political instability in Maputo cascades into Manica's corridor economy.

By 2026, Manica's trajectory depends on whether formal mining can absorb artisanal workers—or whether mercury, smuggling, and informal extraction continue as the path of least resistance.