OSISA - Mozambique

Mozambique: baseline information

Tue, 09 May 2006 13:50:03 -0400

Republic of Mozambique

Population [WHO 2006]: 19.4 million
Annual population growth [WHO 2006]: 2.4 %
HDI (and rank out of 177) [UN 2005]: 0379 (168th)
Life expectancy at birth [WHO 2006]: 45 years
Currency: Metical
Main exports: seafood, cotton
Capital city: Maputo
Provinces/ districts: 10 provinces (Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia) plus Maputo city

Links to more Mozambique resources

Background

Tue, 09 May 2006 10:50:14 -0400

(a) Social, Economic and Political

A sound constitution and a system of proportional representation have resulted in a measure of political representation, which is positive for a post-conflict situation.

The relationship between Renamo and the ruling Frelimo party remains an uneasy one.

President Chissano has opted out of running for the third term, despite constitutional permission to do so; this augurs well for entrenchment of democracy in the country and region. Frelimo once again won the 2004 election, with Guebuza becoming the new president.

Mozambique is popular with institutional and bilateral donors. She has made significant strides in economic development and post-war reconstruction after the Rome Peace Accord of 1992, averaging a GDP of 9% for the past four years. However, Mozambique is still one of the poorest countries of the world and the economic growth has not yet begun to be felt by the majority of her people.

Mozambique cyclone: at least 7 dead

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:51:15 -0500

Deadly cyclone ravages Mozambique
BBC news 10/3/2008
At least seven people have been killed and thousands have fled their homes as Cyclone Jokwe continues to hit northern Mozambique, state radio reports. Some 500 buildings including schools and hospitals, have been destroyed and electricity pylons downed. The cyclone is expected to move south on Monday and people have been warned to stay out of the sea, as wind speeds reach 200km/h

Mozambique-SA border retards growth

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:10:59 -0500

Bottleneck at Mozambique border causes alarm
Mail & Guardian Online - Johannesburg,South Africa
Inefficiency at one of the border posts between South Africa and Mozambique is a key constraint to accelerated growth of trade and investment between the two countries, the Maputo Corridor Links Initiative (MCLI) said on Thursday. MCLI chief operating officer Barbara Mommen said delays in the movement of

Strikes, sabotage at Xinavane plantation

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:20:37 -0500

Mozambique: wildcats and sabotage on the sugar cane plantations
libcom.org - London,UK
600 seasonal workers at the Xinavane sugar plantation in Maputo province of Mozambique have been on wildcat strike since last Friday (15th February). The workers are demanding a wage increase of over 100%, from 1,100 to 2,500 meticais (from US$46 to US$104), as well as protective clothing, overtime for working on Sundays and the right to a day off in

Killer cyclone approaches Mozambique

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:58:46 -0500

Cyclone Ivan killed 22 in Madagascar - officials
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Cyclone Ivan killed at least 22 people on Madagascar this week and the death toll is expected to rise, government officials said on Thursday. Ivan, one of the largest cyclones ever to hit Madagascar, was packing winds of more than 125 mph (200 kph) when it hit the Indian Ocean island's east coast earlier this week. It is also expected to bring heavy rains to flood-stricken Mozambique. The administrator of Madagascar's Mangoro Alaotra region said it had been possible to identify 20 of 22 people killed. "Eight of the victims were washed away, another 11 are victims of a collapsed house," David Alexander Robinson said ... About 5,000 people in Madagascar are still in need of aid as a result of another cyclone, Fame, that hit the storm-prone island in late January and killed at least 12 people ... In Mozambique, Ivan is expected to worsen flooding that has already engulfed parts of the southern African country. Flooding has forced thousands of villagers from their homes in Mozambique in recent weeks. Scientists say rising sea temperatures linked to climate change are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of cyclones in the tropics over the coming decades, and some suspect they have already.

Mother and child health in Mozambique

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:22:59 -0500

Mozambique: Guebuza Launches Initiative On Mother And Child Health
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA

11 Mozambican women die every day due to complications arising during pregnancy and childbirth. In a year, the death toll adds up to 3,840 women - for every 100,000 live births, 480 women die ... It is true that some other African countries have worse maternal mortality rates than Mozambique, and Guebuza mentioned the case of Mali, where 1000 women die for every 100,000 live births. Yet there is nothing inevitable about shockingly high death rates. In developed countries, death during childbirth is extremely rare. Guebuza cited Ireland, where there are now just two maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, "Of all health indicators, it is the maternal mortality rate that most reveals the gulf between developed and developing countries" ... "The death of a mother is a tragedy in a family, and a great loss in the community, because she is the moral, social and economic support of the family and the community", declared Guebuza ... As for the infant mortality rate (deaths among children before their first birthday), Guebuza put it at 178 per 1,000 live births. Almost 30 per cent of these deaths (48 per 1,000 live births) took place in the first month of life. The main cause of this neonatal death rate, Guebuza noted, were premature births, low weight at birth (often caused by malnutrition of the mother), asphyxia, sepsis, congenital syphilis, and other illnesses inherited from the mother ... A document from the Health Ministry notes that among the social factors contributing to maternal deaths, are the premature marriage of girls, and high levels of violence against women and children "practiced in the home, but tolerated by the community". One aspect not mentioned in this document, but which certainly plays a significant role in maternal mortality, is back-street abortions ...

Japan to fund Nacala Special Economic Area?

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:18:27 -0500

Mozambique: Japan available to fund Nacala Special Economic Area
Macauhub - Macau,China
Maputo, Mozambique, 21 Feb – The Japanese government, via the Bank of Japan for International Cooperation, is available to provide funding for the the development of the Nacala Special Economic Area, a government official said in Maputo Tuesday. The pledge was reiterated during a meeting in Maputo Tuesday, which

LonZim invests in Macuti Tourist Village

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:15:10 -0500

Mozambique: LonZim acquires 79 percent of Macuti Tourist Village
Macauhub - Macau,China
London, United Kingdom, 21 Feb – British-owned company LonZim said Wednesday in London that it had acquired a 79 percent stake in the Macuti Tourist Village (ATdeM), in the Mozambican province of Beira, for US$4.25 million. ATdeM is the owner of the historical Dom Carlos and Estoril hotels located

Mozambique considers fuel subsidy

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 03:26:50 -0500

Mozambique: Suppliers Propose Models for Fuel Subsidy
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
The two main fuel distribution companies in Mozambique, BP and the publicly-owned PETROMOC, are presenting proposals on exactly how private transport operators can benefit from the subsidy on diesel announced by the government in the wake of the riots that paralysed Maputo on 5 February. The riots were provoked by an increase of up to 50 per cent in the fares charged by the

Maputo protests: 1 dead, 63 wounded

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:40:29 -0500

One dead, 63 wounded in Mozambique protests
AFP -
MAPUTO (AFP) — One person was killed and 63 were wounded in the Mozambican capital Maputo on Tuesday when police opened fire in a bid to break up violent protests against increases in bus fares, officials said. Police and witnesses said protestors had trashed shops in the centre of the normally tranquil capital after cutting off access roads and that a number of cars had been set on fire. "The latest toll shows that

Malaria on the increase in Mozambique

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:35:41 -0500

Malaria in Mozambique worries SA
The Times - Johannesburg,Gauteng,South Africa
An increase in reported cases of malaria in Mozambique has South African health authorities worried. Dr Jaishree Raman, a specialist scientist with the Malaria Research Programme of the Medical Research Council, yesterday warned that communities bordering Mozambique should take extra precautionary measures. Raman said: “We are very concerned about what is happening. We are carefully following the malaria increase in Mozambique. “There is no outbreak yet but there are fears that there will be an increase in malaria infection because of the floods,” he said. Raman added that a small increase of malaria infections had been detected in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo and that a South African team had been sent to Mozambique to monitor the situation. “If there is an increase in cases in Mozambique, South Africa will be affected. Mosquitoes don’t have borders and many migrant workers are returning to work ,” she said. Phuti Seloba, Limpopo health department spokesman, said the province had experienced an unusually high number of malaria cases over the festive season. Seloba said: “We had about 500 cases in December compared to 300 in December 2006.”

Barclays Bank Mozambique goes TM1

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:24:16 -0500

Barclays Bank Mozambique goes TM1
ITWeb - Gauteng,South Africa
[ 4 February 2008 ] - MCI Consultants, the leading distributor for Cognos/Applix's TM1 product in South Africa, today announced that Barclays Bank Mozambique, a member

Mozambique rural electrification plan

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:05:44 -0500

Mozambique: Government seeks funding for rural electricity supply
Macauhub - Macau,China
Maputo, Mozambique, 5 Feb – The first stage of the Rural Low Cost Electrification Plan requires US$117 million, the Mozambican Energy Minister, Salvador Namburete said Friday in Maputo. On presenting the plan to potential donors, Namburete said that the

Kariba warns that floodgate will open

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:20:44 -0500

Mozambique: Kariba Warns That Floodgate Will Open This Week
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA

By the end of this week at least one of the floodgates of the Kariba dam, on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border, will be opened, which is likely to worsen the current flooding in the Zambezi Valley in central Mozambique. Kariba is run by the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), which was set up by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Under an agreement with Mozambique, any decision to open the Kariba floodgates must be announced at least seven days in advance ... The ZRA issued a brief statement on 31 January that it would open one of the four floodgates. According to Paulo Zucula, the director of the Mozambican government's relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), the ZRA has not specified the exact date for opening the floodgate, nor how much water will be released ... The Cahora Bassa dam can certainly hold some of a flood surge from Kariba. Cahora Bassa has some margin for manoeuvre since, as of 31 January, the dam lake was only 64 per cent full (normal for this time of year - precisely in order to leave room for a sudden inflow from upstream). Over the past few days the water entering the Cahora Bassa lake has been in excess of 10,000 cubic metres per second ...