Growing Blue Conference

vilankulo 18 AND 19 de November, 2021

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially designated as Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in southeastern Africa, bathed by the Indian Ocean to the east and bordering Tanzania to the north; Malawi and Zambia to the northwest; Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. The capital and largest city of the country is Maputo.

Mozambique became independent on June 25, 1975, becoming the People’s Republic of Mozambique shortly thereafter. After only two years of independence, the country plunged into an intense and prolonged civil war that lasted from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, the country held its first multiparty elections and remained a stable presidential republic ever since.

Mozambique is endowed with rich and extensive natural resources. The country’s economy is mainly based on agriculture, but the industrial sector, mainly in the manufacture of food, beverages, chemicals, aluminum and oil, is growing. The country’s tourism sector is also growing. South Africa is Mozambique’s main trading partner and the main source of foreign direct investment. Portugal, Brazil, Spain and Belgium are also among the most important economic partners in the country. Since 2001, the average annual economic growth rate of Mozambican GDP has been one of the highest in the world. However, GDP per capita, human development index (HDI), income inequality, and life expectancy in Mozambique are low.

ECONOMY

The country has been experiencing remarkable economic growth. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been growing on average over 7-8% per year, even reaching 2-digit levels. Inflation is below 10%. The tendency is to keep it in one digit.

In monetary terms, Mozambique has one of the most liberalized foreign exchange regimes in Africa. Foreign trade partners have sufficient reason to inspire great confidence in the country in view of the ability of the monetary authorities to maintain adequate volumes of external means of payment.
The Central Bank’s external reserves have been above the six months of imports of goods and services.

The State, through the execution of its fiscal policy regulates and dynamizes the most important socioeconomic areas and creates a good business environment very favorable to the development of private initiative.
The legal reforms under the financial, fiscal, labor, commercial and land legislation carried out by the Government contribute significantly to strengthen this good environment with the respective attraction of the national and foreign private investment.

The country’s economic potential for attracting investments in agro-industry, agriculture, tourism, fishing and mining is enormous. Projects such as Mozal, Cahora Bassa Dam, Iron-Port Corridors and Tourist Complexes throughout the country have significantly contributed to placing Mozambique on the route of major regional and international investments.

GEOGRAPHY

With 801 537 square kilometers of territorial area, Mozambique is the 34th largest country in the world in territorial area.
To the north of the Zambezi river the territory is dominated by a large plateau with a small coastal plain bordered by coral reefs and, inland, bordered by mountainous massifs belonging to the system of the Great Rift Valley. To the south is characterized by a wide coastal plain of alluvium, covered by savannahs and cut by the valleys of several rivers, among which the Limpopo river stands out.

LANGUAGES

The official language in Mozambique is Portuguese. Beside this, more than 60 different dialects of Bantu languages can be found in Mozambique. English is generally spoken in hotels and beach lodges. The meetings will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation to French and Portuguese.

CULTURE

Mozambique has always affirmed itself as a cultural pole with outstanding international interventions in the field of architecture, painting, music, literature and poetry. Names such as Malangatana, Mia Couto and José Craveirinha, among others, have long surpassed National boundaries. Also in the area of sport he excelled in various modalities, namely in athletics with Lurdes Mutola. Also important and representative of the artistic and creative spirit of the Mozambican people is the craftsmanship that is manifested in several areas, such as the blackwood sculptures of the Macondes of the North of Mozambique


Mozambican music can serve many purposes, ranging from religious expression to traditional ceremonies. Musical instruments are usually made by hand and include drums made of wood and animal skin, such as the lupembe, a wind instrument made from animal horns or wood, and the marimba, which is a kind of native xylophone. The marimba is a popular instrument among the chopes of the Mozambican center-south coast, who are famous for their musical and dance skills.


The macondes are famous for their elaborate wooden masks and sculptures, which are commonly used in traditional dances. There are two different types of wood carvings: the shetani, which are mostly carved in ebony, and the ujamaa, which are totem-shaped sculptures that illustrate realistic faces of people and various figures. These sculptures are often referred to as “genealogical trees” because they tell stories from many generations.

Contactos