Six arrested for theft of medicines Maputo, 31 Mar (AIM) – Mozambican health authorities reported the arrest of six health professionals for alleged involvement in the theft of medicines and medical-surgical material in the districts of Muembe and Mandimba, in the northern province of Niassa.
Last January, authorities reported the theft of antimalarial medicines worth 42 million meticais (around 657 thousand dollars, at current exchange rates) from the central medical warehouses of the National Health Service, in the province of Maputo.
According to Cássimo Abudo, administrator of the Muembe district, antimalarial medicines are the most stolen medicine in the district. He explained that the detainees in question sold the stolen medicines to private pharmacies.
“They were also involved in stealing blood collection bags, which forced the introduction of reinforced security measures in health units in the district,” he said.
The Minister of Health, Ussene Isse, declared “zero tolerance” to the theft of medicines. In January, a pharmacist was sentenced to 10 months in prison for stealing medicines in the central province of Sofala.
Meanwhile, the Association of United Health Professionals (APSUSM) threatened to intensify its strike, which began on January 16. The president of APSUSM, Anselmo Muchave, quoted in Tuesday’s edition of the independent daily “O Pais”, stated that the government is not complying with the recommendations emerging from negotiations with the strikers, and that the situation of the National Health Service is “catastrophic”.
Muchave alleged that a “silent genocide” is taking place in health facilities. Since the start of the strike, 1,872 deaths have been recorded, he said, caused by a lack of medicines and medical supplies and lack of care in health units.
Muchave has made such claims frequently, but no one else has seen large numbers of deaths in health facilities.
APSUSM demands the payment of the end-of-year bonus (known as the 13th month because it is equivalent to the payment of an extra month of the base salary) and better working conditions in hospitals.
“APSUSM will not back down,” declared Muchave. “The fight for life, dignity and health rights does not allow us to allow the government to neglect the National Health Service and put the lives of Mozambicans at risk.”
Muchave claims that APSUSM represents 65,000 health workers, but there is no sign that such a large number of people have ever supported APSUSM’s strike calls.
He warned that if the government does not reach an agreement with APSUSM, the next phase of the strike will completely paralyze health units. (AIM) Ad/pf (428)
Maputo, 31 Mar (AIM) – The president of the Mozambique Chamber of Commerce (CCM), Lucas Chachine, believes that strengthening the country’s business class is crucial to increasing productivity and exports.
According to Chachine, speaking on Monday in Maputo, after the inauguration of the new CCM governing bodies, business expansion is urgent “and we need to look for solutions to the problems of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)”.
The new bodies will operate in the sectors of taxation, finance, risk, compliance and control, internal audits, policies and procedures, macroeconomic analysis, support for associations and business services.
Chachine said that, in the near future, actions are planned to promote the growth of these sectors, with a view to improving the performance of each department.
“Our motto is to see Mozambican companies produce more, improve the quality of their products and export. This will be possible through reinforced collaboration with the government and closer ties with SMEs,” he stated.
He also highlighted the need to promote the economic inclusion of young and female entrepreneurs through mentoring programs and access to alternative sources of financing.
He also mentioned that the CCM intends to reinforce its role in mediating commercial disputes through the Business Ombudsman, a service already existing at the institution.
He added that technological advances require greater resilience from companies, taking into account the government’s commitment to the digitalization of the economy.
“It is important that the digitalization secretariat, in coordination with others, invests in the use of digital platforms to boost business development,” he stated. (AIM) MR/Ad/pf (252)
Government launches financing line for rural projects
Maputo, 31 Mar (AIM) – The Ministry of Planning and Development of Mozambique and Moza Banco, one of the country’s commercial banks, signed an agreement on Monday that aims to finance rural development projects.
The project, which is part of the Rural Business Financing Line (LFER), is budgeted at 11 million dollars.
According to the Minister of Planning and Development, Salim Vala, the financing line aims to boost the rural economy and promote employment opportunities.
“These resources are to provide financial support to rural companies and enterprises. We know that in Mozambique 65 percent of the population lives in rural areas, and that is where the great potential for the economic development of our country lies. But this initiative is also aimed at Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)”, he said.
He stated that “SMEs today represent more than 95 percent of the Mozambican economic panorama”.
According to the minister, the beneficiaries of this line of credit have the mission of ensuring its continuity through the repayment of their loans.
“We know that access to financing is one of the biggest constraints to the growth of agricultural supply chains and rural entrepreneurs. It is precisely to respond to this challenge that LFER was created”, he said.
“We want to ensure that credit arrives in a structured, transparent and sustainable way, allowing productive projects to flourish and the positive impact to spread throughout the community,” he added.
Valá warned that without reimbursement “it will not be possible to expand the fund to other beneficiaries”.
For his part, Manuel Soares, representative of the Executive Committee of Moza Banco, said that his institution will assume responsibility for managing the credit line, as an intermediary between the resources made available and the final beneficiaries.
He declared that every penny invested will be aligned with rigorous technical criteria and the highest standards of integrity and transparency. (AIM) Ad/pf (322
O Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INAM) divulgou a previsão do tempo para esta terça-feira, 31 de Março de 2026, indicando um dia quente na maior parte do país, com possibilidade de aguaceiros acompanhados de trovoadas em algumas regiões.
Maputo, 30 Mar (AIM) – The Mozambican government created the Digital Transformation and Innovation Agency (ATDI) “to face the challenges of technological fragmentation in public administration and the need to accelerate the integrated modernization of public services”, declared Prime Minister Benvinda Levi on Monday.
Speaking in Maputo, at the ceremony in which the president of the new agency, Adilson Gomes, took office, Levi said that it is ATDI’s task to “boost innovation and technological modernization and thus continually improve the provision of State services to citizens”.
ATDI’s responsibilities, he continued, include “the harmonization and interoperability of the State’s digital platforms, the management and integration of data centers, and the rationalization of the acquisition of digital service provision systems”.
“Digital transformation”, declared the Prime Minister, “is one of the structuring pillars to promote the continuous modernization of the State in the context of improving services throughout the country”.
“The commitment to digital transformation”, he continued, “also seeks to ensure that no Mozambican is left behind in taking advantage of the benefits of new Information and Communication Technologies, regardless of where they live”.
The government, Levi said, wants digital systems “to be increasingly comprehensive, resilient and interoperable, and to ensure that Mozambique consolidates itself as a digital, innovative and inclusive nation”.
She stressed that technology “only has real value when it facilitates and improves people’s lives – that is, when it reduces distances, democratizes opportunities and transforms rights into tangible opportunities”.
She believes that Gomes can rise to this challenge, as he has more than 20 years of experience in information technologies, telecommunications and digital transformation. (AIM) Pf/ (274)
Maputo, 30 Mar (AIM) – Four people are missing in the Nambubussi neighborhood, Mocímboa da Praia district, Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, and were believed to have been kidnapped by Islamic terrorists,
According to local sources, cited by the independent newspaper “Carta de Moçambique”, the victims were allegedly kidnapped while fishing in an area known as Naquiyelo, in the Administrative Post of Mbau, an area previously dominated by jihadists.
The disappearance of these four fishermen was reported to the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (FDS) and their Rwandan allies. The boat used by the fishermen was discovered on Wednesday.
In the meeting with the FDS, the local population also pointed the finger at some military personnel “since State forces were involved in recent actions against civilian fishermen”.
According to the independent conflict recording project ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project), military clashes intensified in the Catupa forest, in the neighboring district of Macomia. The clashes involve Mozambican troops, probably with the help of Rwandan troops, who are trying to retake positions occupied by the insurgents last February. (AIM) Ad/pf (193)
Maputo, 30 Mar (AIM) – Contrary to expectations, Mozambique’s former Finance Minister, Manuel Chang, did not return to Mozambique, but remains detained in the United States.
Chang was supposed to be released from a US federal prison on March 26, after serving a 102-month sentence for fraud and money laundering for his role in Mozambique’s biggest scandal, known as the “hidden debts” case.
The term “hidden debts” refers to the scheme through which three fraudulent Mozambican state-owned companies, Proindicus, Ematum (Empresa Moçambicana de Atum) and MAM (Mozambique Asset Management), all managed by the SISE security service, obtained loans worth more than two billion US dollars from Credit Suisse and VTB banks in Russia.
No bank in its right mind would grant such large loans to companies with no track record and managed by an intelligence service. But any doubts Credit Suisse and VTB may have had were overcome when Chang, as Finance Minister, signed sovereign guarantees, which meant that if companies defaulted, the Mozambican state would reimburse the banks.
And sure enough, the three companies quickly went bankrupt, and so the hidden loans turned into hidden debts. The guarantees signed by Chang were illegal, as the loans exceeded the maximum loan limit established under the 2013 and 2014 budget laws.
The loans were a corrupt scheme devised by the Abu Dhabi-based Privinvest group, which spent hundreds of millions of dollars bribing Mozambican officials (including Chang) and Credit Suisse bankers. Under these agreements, Privinvest became the sole contractor of the three fake companies and sold them fishing boats, radar stations and other assets at highly inflated prices.
Chang was arrested at Johannesburg International Airport in December 2018 on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by US prosecutors. Because American investors were among those duped in the scandal, the US wanted Chang to stand trial in New York.
Belatedly, Mozambican authorities stated that Chang should be put on trial in Maputo. Chang’s lawyers worked for five years to avoid extradition to the US. Eventually, they failed and in 2023 Chang was deported from Johannesburg to New York.
He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and Judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced him to eight and a half years in prison.
Chang’s defense team tried to secure his early release for health reasons. The judge rejected the request because he did not believe the lawyers had provided convincing evidence of any serious medical condition that would justify early release.
Chang’s lawyers bought him a plane ticket from Boston to Maputo, via Lisbon – but the Portuguese airline TAP wouldn’t allow him to board the plane.
Upon his release from prison, Chang was transferred from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But he was detained by ICE at Boston Logan Airport because his emergency travel document, issued by the Mozambique Embassy in Lisbon, was not previously authorized by Portuguese authorities (who would be responsible for the former minister during his transit).
Thus, Chang remained in ICE custody at a prison in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Attempts by Chang’s legal team to secure his immediate deportation failed, despite requests made to federal prosecutors. The lawyers then asked Judge Garaufis to intervene to ensure that Chang was put on a plane to Maputo.
Before the trial in New York, Mozambique’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) repeatedly insisted that Mozambique was the only country with the legitimacy to put Chang on trial.
The PGR’s attempts failed – but, in theory, it could order Chang’s arrest the moment he disembarked the plane in Maputo. (AIM) Pf/ (613)
Malabo, 30 Mar (AIM) – Mozambican President, Daniel Chapo, promised to establish a diplomatic representation in Equatorial Guinea in response to the concerns of the Mozambican community residing in that country.
According to Chapo, speaking to journalists at the end of his working visit to Equatorial Guinea, “we are working to see how we can respond to this concern in relation to diplomatic representation”.
The president explained that the government is analyzing different options to make the initiative viable, including the creation of a consulate, an embassy or other forms of representation.
“We will try to reflect, consider and then make a decision (…) whether through a consulate, an embassy, or even a consul”, he said.
The concerns of Mozambican citizens in Equatorial Guinea are mainly related to difficulties in accessing essential administrative services, such as issuing identity cards, passports and driving licenses.
Chapo highlighted the importance of improving assistance to the diaspora, stressing that the eventual creation of a diplomatic representation aims to facilitate access to these services.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the measure could contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, including economic and institutional cooperation.
Chapo reiterated that the Government will continue to pay attention to the concerns of Mozambicans abroad, considering them an integral part of national development.
During his visit, Chapo also participated in the XI Summit of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and held meetings with businesspeople to promote investment. (AIM) SN/Ad/pf (250)
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ÓNuma manhã úmida em Uyo, Nigéria, Ubokobong Amanam mostra a prótese realista onde antes estavam seus dedos. A pele apresenta pequenas rugas e as unhas têm formato natural. Há sete anos, ele ficou gravemente ferido em um acidente com fogos de artifício. Os médicos poderiam salvá-lo, mas não seus dedos.
As próteses disponíveis na época eram desajeitadas, mal ajustadas e projetadas para corpos nada parecidos com o dele.
“No início, foi profundamente decepcionante perceber que não existiam próteses hiper-realistas ou mesmo realistas de estilo africano”, diz ele. “Essa descoberta me fez sentir pior e intensificou minha depressão.”
Mas seu irmão, John Amanam, era um artista de efeitos especiais, fazendo réplicas de corpos humanos para cinema e teatro. Juntos, eles começaram a trabalhar para melhorar a situação de Ubokobong, projetando uma prótese que ainda não existia, feita por africanos para africanos.
Eles sabiam que havia um nível de necessidade impressionante: milhões de africanos não têm acesso a próteses devido aos elevados custos e à falta de disponibilidade. E mesmo quando as próteses estão disponíveis, muitas vezes são importadas e concebidas para tipos de corpo ocidentais, tornando-as menos adequadas para utilizadores africanos.
Uma prótese realista criada para replicar a mão humana em textura e forma. Fotografia: Valentine Benjamin
Os dados são escassos, mas estimativas não oficiais sugerem que até 2 milhões de pessoas na Nigéria necessitam de próteses. Para quem tem dinheiro, membros importados podem custar de US$ 2.000 a US$ 3.000 (£ 1.500 a £ 2.250).
Isto reflete uma maior escassez global. De acordo com o relatório de 2022 do Observatório Global de Saúde sobre tecnologia de apoio, nove em cada 10 pessoas em todo o mundo que necessitam de dispositivos de assistência, como próteses, cadeiras de rodas ou aparelhos auditivos, não têm acesso a eles.
A situação é especialmente difícil nos países de baixo e médio rendimento. Para Ubokobong foi um choque.
“A primeira coisa que descobri é que as próteses não são realmente feitas para pessoas como nós”, diz ele.
As cores não combinavam, os reparos significavam a importação de peças de reposição e produtos de alta qualidade simplesmente não estavam disponíveis.
O Braço Biônico Ubokobong foi o culminar de três anos de pesquisa dedicada e a empresa dos irmãos, Immortal Cosmetic Art, agora lidera o caminho em próteses realistas para amputados em todo o continente, com a missão de torná-las mais acessíveis aos nigerianos e outros africanos.
A prótese do pé direito de Emedong Bassey, feita para combinar com seu tom de pele. Fotografia: Valentine Benjamin
Seus clientes incluem amputados como Emedong Bassey, de 30 anos, que perdeu a perna direita em um acidente de carro em 2010.
Bassey ouviu falar de John Amanam pela primeira vez no Facebook. Após a consulta, ela preencheu um formulário e foram tiradas as medidas das pernas. Algumas semanas depois, ela recebeu sua prótese.
“Parece minha perna de verdade”, diz Bassey. “É confortável e combina com o meu tom de pele. A maioria das pessoas nem percebe que não é minha perna verdadeira porque se parece muito com a cor e o formato da minha outra perna.”
John usa todas as suas habilidades artísticas para incorporar os mínimos detalhes – rugas, veias, unhas e impressões digitais – criados a partir de moldes de silicone do corpo de cada usuário.
Não se concentrando apenas na aparência, a empresa está agora desenvolvendo próteses biônicas que usam eletromiografia para ler sinais musculares, permitindo aos usuários controlar o movimento – um avanço significativo em um campo dominado por tecnologia estrangeira cara.
Cada membro biónico custa cerca de 7.000 dólares – mais barato do que muitas opções ocidentais, mas ainda inacessível para a maioria dos africanos, e por isso os irmãos têm trabalhado para obter apoio de governos e ONG para tornar as tecnologias acessíveis. Eles já forneceram próteses gratuitas para mais de 10 clientes, incluindo Bassey.
Mas o fosso entre a inovação e o acesso continua a ser grande, uma desigualdade global. Nos EUA, por exemplo, os membros biónicos custam muitas vezes dezenas de milhares de dólares sem cobertura total de seguro, forçando muitos que precisam deles a financiarem-se coletivamente. Na Índia, opções acessíveis, como o Jaipur Foot, de US$ 45, comprometem o realismo e a função.
Ubokobong Amanam aplica código a um braço biônico pronto para ser transformado em prótese no laboratório Immortal Cosmetic Art em Uyo, Nigéria, agosto de 2025. Fotografia: Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters
Para a Dra. Natasha Layton, terapeuta ocupacional e professora associada da Universidade Monash, na Austrália, não se trata apenas de um problema tecnológico, mas de um fracasso político.
“A tecnologia assistiva tem sido frequentemente tratada como um extra opcional, em vez de uma parte essencial dos serviços de saúde”, diz Layton. “Mas é essencial para o acesso à educação, ao emprego e à inclusão social.”
Ela argumenta que a lacuna global em próteses reflecte décadas de subinvestimento, uma vez que os governos e os organismos internacionais deram prioridade aos cuidados de saúde agudos em detrimento do apoio a longo prazo.
“Mas sem tecnologia assistiva”, diz ela, “muitas pessoas não conseguem recuperar totalmente a sua independência”.
John, à esquerda, e Ubokobong Amanam na Immortal Cosmetic Art em Uyo, Nigéria. Fotografia: Valentine Benjamin
Especialistas dizem que a abordagem protética comunitária dos irmãos Amanam poderia ajudar a melhorar o acesso a estes serviços essenciais.
A produção local oferece uma alternativa promissora, permitindo a personalização do clima, do ambiente de trabalho e do estilo de vida das comunidades locais.
Por exemplo, os membros protéticos fabricados na Europa podem não suportar as exigências do trabalho físico, como a agricultura ou o terreno comum em toda a África, e as reparações são dispendiosas e difíceis de organizar.
E de acordo com Opeoluwa Akinola, cofundador do Centro de Inovação e Pesquisa Accesstech, a tecnologia assistiva deve começar com as realidades vividas pelas pessoas com deficiência.
Akinola, que perdeu a visão quando criança, concebe soluções tecnológicas inclusivas que servem as pessoas em toda a África.
“A tecnologia assistiva é muitas vezes concebida longe das pessoas que a utilizarão, levando a soluções dispendiosas, culturalmente incompatíveis e difíceis de manter”, afirma.
O design conduzido localmente pode mudar isso, diz ele. “Quando a tecnologia é desenvolvida nas comunidades, reflecte necessidades reais e torna-se mais acessível e sustentável.
“Não se trata de tentar recuperar o atraso. É uma oportunidade para os inovadores africanos redefinirem o que significa tecnologia inclusiva.”
Uma perna protética criada para combinar com o tom e contornos da pele do usuário. A Immortal Cosmetic Art fabricou cerca de 5.000 produtos para pessoas em vários países. Fotografia: Valentine Benjamin
Para investigadores como Layton, a ascensão da inovação africana marca uma mudança mais ampla na tecnologia da saúde global.
“Tradicionalmente, os avanços fluíram dos países de rendimento elevado para os países de baixo rendimento”, diz ela.
“Agora a tendência está a inverter-se, à medida que as inovações emergem de países que devem pensar criativamente sob restrições.”
Essas restrições, diz ela, podem estimular a criatividade. “Onde os sistemas falharam, as pessoas tendem a ser mais inovadoras e flexíveis nas tecnologias que desenvolvem.”
Ela acrescenta: “Os efeitos poderão atingir a indústria global de próteses. Se esta tecnologia puder ser produzida de forma mais barata, sem sacrificar a qualidade ou a funcionalidade, o seu mercado poderá estender-se para além de África, para o mundo.”
Para os irmãos Amanam, a missão é pessoal e eles sabem que o realismo faz muita diferença para seus clientes.
Ubokobong Amanam aperta a mão usando um braço biônico, que ele co-criou com seu irmão John. Fotografia: Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters
Esta dimensão humana está no centro do trabalho dos irmãos. As suas próteses atraem agora encomendas internacionais, do Gana e da Costa do Marfim, bem como da diáspora africana nos EUA, com mais de 5.000 unidades produzidas.
A sua jornada – de um acidente pessoal a um negócio próspero – aponta para um tipo diferente de mundo: um mundo onde as tecnologias já não são luxos importados, mas sim ferramentas de independência construídas localmente, e onde a inovação já não é uma via de sentido único, diz Akinola.
“Quando as pessoas mais próximas de um problema desenham as soluções, essas soluções são fundamentalmente diferentes”, diz ele.
"Não escolhemos a notícia, escolhemos te informar"
