Maputo, 09 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, approved on Wednesday a new Tobacco Law, which aims to reduce tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

The approval of the law complements the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), adopted in 2003 and in force since February 2005.

The instrument is a response to the global tobacco epidemic and establishes strict control measures, aiming to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to secondhand smoke.

According to the Minister of Justice, Mateus Saíze, speaking during the presentation of the bill in the Assembly, lung and mouth cancer, congenital malformations, premature births and sudden infant death syndrome are among the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.

According to Saíze, tobacco consumption imposes a substantial economic burden. as the country annually records around 11.7 billion meticais (172.3 million US dollars at the current exchange rate) in direct and indirect economic losses, corresponding to 1.3 percent of Mozambique’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Annual economic losses include 900 million meticais in health-related expenses and 10.8 billion meticais in indirect losses due to premature deaths, illnesses and smoking during working hours.

The prevalence of smoking in Mozambique increases with age, rising from 2.8 percent among those aged between 15 and 24 years to 16.1 percent among those aged between 45 and 64 years.

“A reduction in forms of tobacco use among young adults could lead to a shift to the use of smokeless tobacco. However, studies indicate that smokeless tobacco carries health risks equal to, and in some cases greater than, those of smoked tobacco, including cancer of the mouth, tongue, esophagus and pancreas, as well as gum disease, tooth wear, increased blood pressure and a greater risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases,” the document states.

The minister also said that a 64 percent reduction in the prevalence of tobacco consumption over 15 years could help save 53,400 lives, around 3,600 annually. In economic terms, it could avoid 35 percent of the expected losses from tobacco consumption over the next 15 years.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 9 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Albino, challenged the country’s safari operators to attract young people to the wildlife economy and its value chain.

According to the minister, who was speaking on Wednesday, in Maputo, at a Conference on Wildlife Economy, the low involvement of young people means that their economic potential is being underutilized.

“If the involvement of safari agents remains remote, it is a sign that the sector is not being sufficiently used, which shows that it has not yet managed to capture the necessary interest, especially from young people”, he said.

To reverse the situation, the minister called on safari operators to reinforce young people’s technical skills.

“It is essential to create space for conservation to translate into effective development, with visible benefits for all stakeholders, from park managers to local communities”, he warned.

In turn, Carlos Santos, president of the NGO Biofund, stated “There are clear signs that wildlife already has an important importance, but it can contribute much more to the national economy. We need a results-oriented debate capable of aligning conservation with economic development”.

The head of the country’s Safari Operators Association, Adamo Valy, considered the meeting an opportunity to redefine the direction of the sector through the analysis of successful models in the region.

“The role of operators in remote areas, where they often provide direct support to communities, is important because it paves the way for greater institutional coordination to make the sector more competitive and sustainable,” he said.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 9 Apr (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo presented to the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, a bill that will eliminate an entire level of governance, eliminating mountains of bureaucracy and making substantial savings.

With the stroke of a pen, Chapo undid the 2018 constitutional changes that introduced a cumbersome system of local authorities in the name of decentralization.

This complex system had two overlapping layers of provincial power. Alongside the provincial government, headed by an elected provincial governor, and known as “decentralized provincial governance”, there were “state representation bodies in the province”, known as the “State Representation Council”, introduced because supposedly there are state functions that cannot be ensured by the provincial governor.

This was bitterly contested from the beginning. Both within and outside the ruling Frelimo Party, complaints were raised that state representative bodies were unnecessary, merely duplicating the work of provincial governors. It was said that unelected bodies were undermining elected provincial governors.

Opposition parties argued that the dual system was a way for Frelimo to cling to power in the provinces if opposition members were elected provincial governors.

But the mayors elected by Frelimo also saw no reason to hand over power to the State Representation Councils. One of the first voices to be raised against the useless duplication of bodies was that of Eneas Comiche, then Mayor of Maputo, and an important figure in Frelimo.

Chapo said that the elimination of State representative bodies in the provinces will save 1,250 million meticais (about 20 million dollars) from the State Budget every year.

He asked the Assembly to insert his bill on the agenda of the current session as a matter of urgency, and there are no signs that Frelimo deputies will oppose this request.

The bill means that the jobs of dozens of employees will be cut from the budget, and it is not yet clear how – or even if – they will be compensated.

Chapo said his bill also fulfills a promise he made in his inaugural address in January 2025 to restructure provincial state bodies.
(AIM)
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Chimoio (Mozambique), 9 April (AIM) – Mozambican authorities have suspended eight health professionals from the central province of Manica for alleged negligence that resulted in the death of a patient and her baby during childbirth.

The tragedy occurred at the Hospital in the provincial capital, Chimoio (HPC). The professionals in question were on duty in the maternity ward of that health unit last Sunday.

According to Saulo Dimas, husband of the deceased woman, in a letter addressed to Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, the
health professionals were negligent in ignoring signs of worsening of the patient’s clinical condition.

“During labor, my wife was weak and my mother-in-law suggested that she be taken to the operating room for a cesarean section. But the nurses on duty said that would be a treat, until she couldn’t resist and lost her life along with the baby,” said Dimas. “I appeal to the President to send an investigation team to that hospital, because there are reports of other cases of negligence that culminated in deaths.”

Following the complaint, HPC management immediately suspended the entire team on duty, in order to ensure an impartial investigation.

According to HPD director Marília Pugas, speaking to journalists this Wednesday, an investigation is underway to determine the real causes of the incident.

“This is work that we are carrying out in coordination with the Public Ministry and the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC). An autopsy was carried out and the results were sent to the competent authorities for further procedures”, he said.

Pugas acknowledged the existence of allegations of negligence at the hospital. She alleged this whenever such complaints are received. “We investigate and, if confirmed, we act according to the seriousness of the infractions committed”.

Pugas also appealed to the public to report any cases of poor service, in order to contribute to improving the quality of services provided.

“Patients should not be afraid to inform hospital management when they feel they are being mistreated. This is the effort we are making in the sector, to guarantee humanized care, because our greatest value must continue to be life”, he concluded.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 09 Apr (AIM) – The Mozambican government launched the National Tourism Master Plan on Wednesday, which aims to improve the business environment and make the country more attractive to private investment.

According to Fredson Bacar, Secretary of State for Tourism, speaking during the launch of the project in Maputo, the plan will establish clear rules, investment priorities and coordination mechanisms between the public and private sectors, factors considered essential to boost tourism growth.

“The aim is to create a more predictable, organized and attractive business environment where the private sector can invest with confidence,” he said.

He explained that the plan will identify concrete actions and their respective costs, allowing for better planning and mobilization of resources for the sector.

Bacar also revealed that the project has the support of the World Bank, which has provided technical and financial assistance in the development of guiding instruments and the implementation of structuring projects.

Bacar highlighted that improving the business environment also involves investing in infrastructure, roads, water supply, sanitation and security systems, considered crucial to attract investors.

“The private sector only invests where the conditions are created. It is up to the State to guarantee these conditions so that investment can take place”, he stated.

Bacar added that the instruments under development should also contribute to the organization of tourist destinations, the definition of priority areas and the valorization of local potential, with a direct impact on the generation of employment and income for communities.

For his part, Laurent Corthay, World Bank representative in Mozambique, said that a multisectoral approach is crucial.

“The tourism sector is not the responsibility of just one ministry. It is highly multisectoral and requires the participation of sectors as diverse as the environment, transport, interior, security, police, and also at local level”, he stated.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 08 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s former Finance Minister, Manuel Chang, returned to Maputo on Sunday, 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 was released from a US federal prison on March 26, but an attempt to deport him immediately failed. 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.

Chang was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency at Boston’s 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).

Therefore, Chang remained in ICE custody until this bureaucratic problem could be resolved.

According to Radio France International, the deportation was postponed until Sunday, when he was placed on a regular Ethiopian Airways flight from Addis Ababa to Maputo, arriving in the Mozambican capital in the early afternoon.

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.

In effect, the PGR had drawn up a long list of crimes for which it intended to charge Chang. But no attempt was made to arrest Chang when he arrived.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 08 Apr (AIM) – Residents of the village of Mucojo, Macomia district, Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, expressed their concern about the movement of suspected Islamic terrorists in the region.

According to local sources, cited by Agência Notícias Portuguesa (Lusa), the alleged terrorists appear as civilians among the residents and, after a few days, disappear, leaving residents worried and afraid of possible attacks.

“Sometimes people appear there and then disappear, without the communities knowing exactly where they are going,” said a source.

The sources explained that some suspects are young people from the community, allegedly members of the armed group that carries out jihadist attacks in Cabo Delgado.

“Some are not strangers, they are from Mucojo, but they stay and then disappear without saying where they are going,” said another source.

According to residents, the reports are known to the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces, who have been on the ground to monitor the situation.

“The forces are aware and are always present in coordination with the communities, monitoring and doing everything to prevent infiltrators,” said a source.

The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been the target of extremist attacks since 2017, when terrorists attacked the Mocímboa da Praia district.
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Maputo, 8 April (AIM) – The Rwandan government revealed that it has more than 6,300 soldiers deployed in Northern Mozambique to support the fight against Islamic terrorists.

The Rwandan Forces were deployed in 2021 at the request of the Mozambican government to support the fight against jihadist groups operating in the region.

According to Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo, this number is three times higher than the number sent in 2021 and therefore a “sustainable financing framework is needed to continue”.

The Rwandan government had already announced that the Rwandan military presence in Mozambique depends on “adequate and predictable” financing. The announcement comes at a time when financial support from the European Peace Mechanism is set to expire in May “with no plans for renewal”, according to EU officials.

Rwanda has so far received around 40 million euros (46.7 million US dollars at the current exchange rate) in EU support for the counter-insurgency mission in Mozambique.

According to Makolo, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the long-term deployment of Rwandan forces in joint counterterrorism operations in Mozambique requires a sustainable financing framework.

“Having so far borne the majority of the financial burden of these operations, a transition to more equitable financing is a strategic necessity,” she said.

She explained that it is up to the Mozambican government to provide the financing.

“Rwanda has not and will not seek additional funds from the European Peace Mechanism. This is an issue for Mozambique. Rwanda’s deployment requires sustainable financing, and it is up to the host government and its partners with large investments in Cabo Delgado to provide this, as it always has been,” she said.

“On the other hand, Rwanda is pleased to have been able to contribute together with our Mozambican allies to defeat terrorists, protect the residents of Cabo Delgado and allow the implementation of investments,” he added.

The spokesperson also said that civilians are the biggest beneficiaries of the joint security mission.

“Investments in gas benefit European and global security/energy interests, not those of Rwanda. Rwandan forces are present in Cabo Delgado in response to the Government of Mozambique’s request for support,” Makolo said.

Last March, the US government imposed sanctions against the Rwandan Armed Forces and four senior Rwandan officials appointed as a result of “direct operational support to the March 23 Movement (M23) and its affiliates in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)”.

The M23 rebels are said to be representatives of the Rwandan government, although Rwanda has repeatedly denied this.

The insurgency in Cabo Delgado, which broke out in 2017, paralyzed the construction of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, led by the French company TotalEnergies. But the work of the Mozambican defense and security forces and their Rwandan allies, particularly in the main districts of Palma and Mocímboa da Praia, allowed TotalEnergies to lift the state of force majeure it had declared in 2021.

In January this year, the French energy company and the Mozambican government agreed to resume construction of the project.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 8 April (AIM) – Mozambican Finance Minister, Carla Louveira, accused the World Bank of using outdated statistics in its latest report on Mozambique.

The report, entitled “Economic Update of Mozambique: From Fragility to Stability”, published in March, states that Mozambique is “the second poorest country and among the ten most unequal in the world”.

Just as the World Bank should have expected, this led to a series of media headlines announcing that Mozambique is “the second poorest country” on the planet.

This is obviously false. Anyone who accepts the World Bank’s claim would have us believe that Mozambique is poorer than war-torn hellholes like Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan or South Sudan.

This is far from the first time that the World Bank has spread falsehoods about Mozambique. In the late 1990s, for example, the Bank was at the forefront of an ideologically driven campaign to dismantle the cashew processing industry, using fraudulent statistics that made the extraordinary claim that processed cashew nuts were worth less than unprocessed nuts.

Today, in an equally poor quality exercise, the World Bank bases its statements about Mozambican poverty on figures that are years out of date. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Mozambican Women’s Day celebrations on Tuesday in Maputo, Louveira said that, although the report is dated March 2026, the data is from 2019.

“The statistics used were collected during the Covid-19 pandemic period, and were published in 2022,” said Louveira. Furthermore, the World Bank report only analyzed “consumption poverty”, assessing whether families had enough money to purchase a “basic basket” of goods and services, while the Mozambican government has a broader definition of what it calls “multidimensional poverty”.

Furthermore, the Minister noted, the timeline used by the World Bank for the Mozambican case was different from that used for several other countries.

“In many of these countries”, said Louveira, “the comparative analysis was carried out with recent household surveys. If we used these more recent data, the picture in our country would obviously be different”.

Asked how the government managed to pay off, in advance, all of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Louveira stressed that it did not use the State Budget.

“Our country has liquid international reserves available”, he highlighted, and the government paid the debt to the IMF using these reserves.

There was no risk of running out of reserves, which were still sufficient to pay for four to five months of imports of goods and services. Paying the debt to the IMF would only have “a slight impact”, he insisted.

The debt paid was 515.04 million Special Drawing Rights (equivalent to 603.1 million dollars).
(AIM)
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