Mozambique : News

[ANGOP]Maputo -The Angolan Foreign Affairs Minister, Georges Chikoti, participated on Saturday in Maputo (Mozambique), in representation of the Angolan President, José Eduardo dos Santos, in the extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). (AllAfrica)

[The Herald]Maputo -PRESIDENT Mugabe arrived here last night to attend an extraordinary summit of Sadc Heads of States and Governments convened to co-ordinate efforts to fund elections in Zimbabwe. (AllAfrica)

[AfricaFocus]"We, the rural populations, families from the communities of the Nacala Corridor, religious organisations and Mozambican civil society, recognising the importance and urgency of combating poverty and promoting sustainable and sovereign development, believe it is timely and crucial to voice our concerns and proposals in relation to the ProSavana Programme. (AllAfrica)

[ANGOP]Hanoi -The Angolan ambassador to Angola, João Manuel Bernardo, was among the diplomats who attended the Vietnam/Mozambique Business Forum held Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam. (AllAfrica)

[SA Info]Rhino poaching is expected to top the agenda when Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa meets with Mozambican Minister of Tourism Carvalho Muaria in Maputo on Friday. (AllAfrica)

[SA Info]South Africa's women's football team, Banyana Banyana, were too strong for Mozambique in an international friendly played at KaNyamzane Stadium in Nelspruit on Sunday, romping to a 5-0 victory. (AllAfrica)

[Deutsche Welle]Matola -The female condom has been making its way across developing countries, particularly those in the African continent. While many see this as a woman's commodity, one man in Mozambique is actively campaigning for it too. (AllAfrica)

[RFI]Mozambican bass player and vocalist Childo Tomas talks to RFI about the joys of making his first solo album - The roots of Mozambique - after nearly two decades of playing in other people's bands. (AllAfrica)

[SAFA]Banyana Banyana turned on the magic to hammer Mozambique 5-0 in an international friendly played at Kanyamazane Stadium on Sunday. (AllAfrica)

[The Herald]GUINEA ensured that Egypt had to wait another week, before being confirmed as winners of their 2014 World Cup African Zone qualifying group, after a six-goal destruction of Mozambique at the September 28 Stadium in Conakry last night. A draw or loss for the Sylie Nationale would have handed the Pharaohs a ticket into the final qualifying round (AllAfrica)

Policy-makers are often tasked with making difficult decisions in the face of an uncertain future outlook. Will infrastructural investments still be relevant in 25 years? What new markets are likely to emerge in the medium term? How will a gradual increase in average temperatures over the coming decades affect livelihood security?

Though largely context specific, these are but three examples of the types of forward-looking questions that should be asked of many longer-term policies or plans. Despite this need, the development and humanitarian sectors continue to face criticisms over their relative rigidity and short-termism with regards to project funding and delivery. Recent emphasis on promoting a ‘resilience approach’ to programming has resulted in calls for more longer-term objectives and deliverables, greater flexibility in planning processes, as well as better collaboration and coordination amongst key development actors.

Drawing on insights from complexity science, this paper describes what processes are needed to promote Flexible and Forward-looking Decision Making (FFDM). More specifically, the paper proposes a coupled game and reflection based approach. This looks to capitalise on the ability of serious games to encourage experiential learning, as well as ensuring that enough time is provided to reflect on how key components of the game relate to the ‘real-world’. It also allows participants to identify their own routes forward for improving decision-making processes.

This paper lays the groundwork for the second phase of research under the Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance (ACCRA). ACCRA will be researching the principles outlined within, as well as trialling three separate coupled game-and reflection events across its core countries, namely Ethiopia, Uganda and Mozambique. (eldis.org)

Norway's Oil for Development (OfD), begun in 2005, is a comprehensive program addressing resource, financial and environmental dimensions with a focus on capacity development in the public sector but including larger sector governance concerns. The petroleum sector is increasing in importance world-wide: the number of producer countries is growing, including in poor states with weak governance systems, and prices remain high. The threat of the “oil curse� where private companies and corrupt elites capture most of the benefits for themselves is posing global governance challenges, including to democracy and gender gains. OfD should have the “oil curse� as its main concern, and build strategic alliances and its own program around this. Sector governance issues should have a societal and not just public sector focus. Country programs should maintain the three “pillars� of resource, revenue and environment but be more inclusive of aspects such as safety. (eldis.org)

This paper assessed strengths and weaknesses in combating malnutrition in nine Sub-Saharan Africa nations with high stunting burden (Burkina-Faso, Comoros, Coted’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and South Africa) in terms of the commitment and capacity. Seven recommendations made following findings from these countries are: strengthening and increased utilization of existing nutrition architectures and coordination mechanisms; mainstreaming and integrating nutrition in relevant sector policies; increased advocacy focusing on the importance of the life-course perspective particularly on nutrition interventions from pre-conception until the first two years of life; translation of national nutrition policies into programmatic actions; increased capacity building on long and short terms;strengthening of community-based outreach using existing channels;and strengthening of national nutrition surveillance systems to ensure adequate use of data for monitoring & evaluation (eldis.org)

Poverty monitoring and evaluation in Mozambique primarily take place within the framework of the implementation of Mozambique‟s Poverty Reduction Strategy PARP/A, and is informed by quantitative data derived from different types of national surveys and similar studies done by bilateral and multilateral aid organisations. However, by their quantitative nature such surveys do not capture all the dimensions of poverty that are relevant to the design of policies and programmes. While quantitative data yield valuable information about the mapping and profile of poverty over space and time, qualitative data are necessary in order to better understand the dynamics of poverty and the coping strategies of the poor. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. This is the first Sub-Report on the District of Lago. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. This is the first Sub-Report on the District of Majune. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. This is the first Sub-Report on the District of Cuamba. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. (eldis.org)

The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. (eldis.org)

Norway's Oil for Development (OfD), begun in 2005, is a comprehensive program addressing resource, financial and environmental dimensions with a focus on capacity development in the public sector but including larger sector governance concerns. The petroleum sector is increasing in importance world-wide: the number of producer countries is growing, including in poor states with weak governance systems, and prices remain high. The threat of the “oil curse” where private companies and corrupt elites capture most of the benefits for themselves is posing global governance challenges, including to democracy and gender gains. OfD should have the “oil curse” as its main concern, and build strategic alliances and its own program around this. Sector governance issues should have a societal and not just public sector focus. Country programs should maintain the three “pillars” of resource, revenue and environment but be more inclusive of aspects such as safety. (eldis.org)

The African Media Barometer (AMB) is an in-depth and comprehensive description and measurement system for national media environments on the African continent. This report focuses on the media landscape in Mozambique in 2011. (eldis.org)

In October 2003, Macau hosted the first ministerial meeting of the Forum for Trade and Economic Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, bringing together high-level representatives from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Macau and China. The idea to create this China–Lusophone countries Forum was developed between the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the Executive Government of Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) not long after Macau’s handover to China on 20 December 1999. Trade between China and the Lusophone countries has risen rapidly, along with soaring Chinese investment and development aid, with a special focus on the African Portuguese-speaking countries. This report asks why China is interested in the Lusophone countries, assesses China’s strengthening bond with them, asks what the Lusophone countries themselves gain from the relationship, and analyses how the Macau forum specifically works. (eldis.org)

This paper explores the significance of recent African fossil fuel reserve discoveries in the context of future world energy demand. It concludes that East African gas and Mozambican coal finds are likely to prove significant in comparison to the current GDPs of the producer countries affected, and may lead to the region providing a sizable contribution to meeting some of Asia's energy demand over coming years. However, this does not change the overall picture of a likely global resource crunch by the middle of this century. (eldis.org)

This report investigates emerging trends, opportunities and challenges in China's engagement with five African countries through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), namely Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. The report also outlines China's interaction with two African regional organisations: the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The aim of this research was to provide African stakeholders with accurate information and commentary on the implementation of the commitments made at the 2006 Beijing FOCAC summit in order to improve their preparedness ahead of FOCAC 2009. Based on the field research observations, country specific recommendations are provided seeking to improve the developmental benefits of each country's relations with China. (eldis.org)

The overall objective of the OfD program is to promote economically, environmentally and socially responsible management of petroleum resources which safeguards the needs of future generations. To achieve this, the OfD program works towards supporting good management of petroleum resources through sound legal frameworks, implemented by the relevant institutions, with accountability. The OfD delivery of the program is focused around three pillars: resources, revenue and environment. The OfD program is currently conducting activities in about 20 countries, many of which experience corruption. To deliver broader engagement and relationships in country, in a mode of operation supported by a focused Political Economy Analysis, would require a stronger role for Norwegians in the embassy on the ground. This would enable the latter to work together with the OfD Secretariat in complementing the presently strong bilateral technically-focussed relationships with specific institutions in-country (eldis.org)

Abuse of state resources for re-election is a common practice in many countries, yet this issue has received little attention from academics and anti-corruption practitioners. This issue paper draws on research conducted in Bolivia and Mozambique, as well as on other sources of information, and includes examples illustrating the damage that this abuse may cause to public administration and to democracy.

The author notes that the appropriate solutions to address such abuse cannot easily be transferred from one region to another. However, facing the problem requires an integrated reform strategy, and the involvement of many actors, including both local and international stakeholders.

Conclusions include:

• efforts to confront the abuse of state resources by governments in office require attention to the demand side (politicians abusing these assets) and the supply side (the public administration system that supplies such resources)
• regulating politicians’ demands for resources to engage in an electoral contest involves reforming the electoral system, strengthening political parties, and regulating the financing of parties and elections
• at the same time, curbing the supply of resources by the public sector requires strengthening the civil service, building strong state monitoring mechanisms, and enhancing transparency to allow for media and civil society oversight
• donors should reconsider their hands-off stance with respect to these problems; for example, abuse of state resources could be included in memoranda of understanding to minimise the possibility of abuse
• other options include building up local, independent research organisations that carry out advocacy related to abuse of state resources
• in this context, these organisations should monitor implementation of relevant legislation, and use donors’ influence to keep this sensitive issue on national and local political agendas

Regional climate change projections for southern Africa indicate that global warming is likely to lead to greater increases in annual mean temperatures than the global average. This means increasing rainfall intensities, decreasing frequencies of low intensity (soft soaking) rainfall and longer dry periods between rainfall events, resulting in more severe droughts, floods and heatwaves, which will, in turn, lead to greater food insecurity in the region. This paper assesses the water-energy nexus in southern Africa in the context of climate change. The aim is to analyse the way energy and water services can be combined and improved to enhance resilience and adaptive capacity of communities to climate variability and change. The analysis is based on secondary data gathered through a cross-disciplinary desktop study, discussions with experts and two workshops held in South Africa and Brazil. The countries covered in the report are Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa. (eldis.org)