The IDA's 2001 Mineral Resources Management Capacity Building Project resulted in the following (IDA, 2007):
• Mozambique's capacity to process new mining licenses increased exponentially: The old system had major delays in processing new titles. With the establishment in 2003 of a new mining cadastre (registry) with four regional bureaus, the system operated more efficiently. As a result, 315 licenses were processed in 2001, 305 in 2002, 590 in 2003, 785 in 2004, 978 in 2005, and 866 in 2006.
• Mining code modernized: New regulations placed the country's mining legislation on par with international best practices. This included approval of: a new mining law, environmental regulations, trade regulations, regulation for safety and health, and basic norms of environmental management of small-scale mining.
• Geological infrastructure developed and information streamlined and shared: All map data was delivered to the National Directorate of Geology, where the project established a minerals information system. The project also refurbished the National Museum of Geology, which is helping improve general knowledge of the sector for all interested.
• Established a robust environment management system: Before, the country lacked a robust system to hold mineral licensees accountable to fulfill environmental requirements. The project linked the environmental permitting process to the mineral license application process, so the two could be tracked together. To support that innovation, an environmental and social auditing diagnostic was conducted; an environment monitoring unit was created under the Ministry's National Directorate of Mines; and an Environmental Management Information System was established.
• Improved sustainability of small-scale mining: Before, small-scale mining was ad hoc and potentially damaging to health and the environment. The project established pilot small-scale mining sites — in clay and gold — to demonstrate improved techniques.
• Private sector activity flourished: In 1996, there were 10 private operators. Upon project completion, this number jumped to 22, including large actors with great potential to generate significant revenue for the Government. The project provided direct support on the Moatize coal concession and subsequent approval of a $2 billion mine development plan.