Anabela Lemos

Anabela Lemos (born 18 February 1953) is a Mozambican human rights activist. She is the co-founder of Justiça Ambiental!, an environmental rights organisation, and in 2024 received the Right Livelihood Award for her opposition to international megaprojects in Mozambique.

Biography Lemos was born in Maputo, Mozambique.

In 1998, Lemos led a grassroots campaign against a Danish-backed waste incineration plant near her home in Matola using pesticides. Gathering the support of national and international organisations such as Greenpeace, the project was successfully halted in 2000.

In 1998, Lemos co-founded the environmental organisation Livango.

Through JA!, Lemos was a leader of the Say No to Gas campaign that brought attention to environmental and human rights violations caused by liquid natural gas extraction projects in northern Mozambique. JA! also campaigned against Mozambique LNG, a 24 billion USD gas extraction project in Cabo Delgado Province backed by TotalEnergies by building alliances with organisations in 23 countries known to be funding the project to challenge the project. JA! provided evidence of human rights violations and corporate crimes, successfully delaying the project.

Recognition In 2022, Lemos was awarded the Per Anger Prize for her campaign for farmers forced to leave their homes to make space for gas and coal extraction despite threats made against her; she was nominated by WeEffect.