Maputo, 5 April (AIM) – The cholera outbreak in the province of Nampula, northern Mozambique, persists, but the number of cases is decreasing, according to the latest bulletin from the Ministry of Health.

The outbreak is now active in ten of Nampula’s 23 districts. No cholera deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, but 19 new cases were diagnosed. Eight of them were in the Ilha de Moçambique district

There was a cumulative total of 172 cases on the Island of Mozambique, of which 17 are hospitalized. Considering the province as a whole, 29 patients are currently hospitalized with cholera.

The total number of cases diagnosed in Nampula province since the start of the outbreak is 3,623, of which 39 have died. Nine of the known deaths occurred in health facilities and 30 in communities.

The hardest hit district is Nacala with 1,826 cases and 17 deaths. Currently five cholera patients remain hospitalized in Nacala.

The most recent statistics indicate that almost exactly 50 percent of cases (1,867) are men, while 1,824 are women. 48 percent of patients are over 15 years old, while children under five years old represent only 25 percent of cases.

Health authorities continue to call for strict observance of individual and collective hygiene measures, taking special care to avoid contamination of food and drinking water.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 3 April (AIM) – The Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique (CTA) believes that women play a decisive role in the country’s economic diplomacy, demonstrating female strength in national socioeconomic development.

According to CTA executive director Teresa Muenda, speaking on Thursday in Maputo at the “Women of Excellence Conference”, despite their significant value, women still face structural challenges, including economic inequality and gender-based violence.

“Women manage approximately 60 percent of small and medium-sized businesses in our country and play a crucial role in the economy and economic diplomacy, being an essential driver for development and the generation of business opportunities,” she said.

Muenda called for greater empowerment of women because “they move societies and play a central role in economic development and economic diplomacy, promoting business opportunities and strengthening the family and community economy”.

“Women support their families, teach other communities and promote trade, crossing borders in search of opportunities. This is our women’s economic diplomacy,” she said.

Muenda also highlighted the strategic role of economic diplomacy in opening international doors for women entrepreneurs.

“Economic diplomacy generates international opportunities and allows women to transform themselves and create businesses that strengthen the economy,” she said.

“Women need real economic power, not just symbolic inclusion. When a woman grows up, a family and community thrive,” he added.

The country’s strategic geographic location and natural resources can support economic development “and women can consolidate their transformative role”.

“The country is rich in potential, but we need to ensure that women have access and space to fully develop,” she said.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 3 April (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo called on Thursday for internal cohesion within the ruling party, Frelimo, and urged members to make their criticisms within Frelimo bodies and not outside them.

He was speaking in Maputo at the end of a round of regional meetings in preparation for the National Staff Conference that Frelimo intends to hold in August.

Chapo said that one of the objectives of the meeting is to collect ideas, opinions and criticisms from the party’s district and provincial secretaries, in order to strengthen Frelimo.

“Criticism and unity are what has made our party grow since its foundation, on June 25, 1962”, he declared. “But this criticism should be made inside. We are saying that we came here united, during the meeting we can make criticisms, constructive criticisms that make our party grow, and when we leave here we will remain united, heading towards our victories in 2028 and 2029 (dates of the next municipal and general elections)”.

“This is what Frelimo calls unity – critical – unity, within our party organs,” Chapo added.

He urged Frelimo members to look at the needs of the people, and particularly young Mozambicans, if they hope to win the next elections.

“These are young people who live in a world increasingly dominated by globalization. They are suffocated by floods, but above all by floods of fake news”, warned Chapo. “All of us, and particularly the Frelimo first secretaries at all levels, need to adjust our working methods to the new demands of a society undergoing profound and rapid transformation”.

The party’s first secretaries, he declared, “must base their work on love for the people because Frelimo is the people”.

In parallel with preparations for the National Cadres Conference, Frelimo is also carrying out a census of its own members. The census was essential, said Chapo, “to know exactly how many members we have in Frelimo, if the party branches really exist and where they are”.

The last publicly announced number of Frelimo members was “more than six million”.

But in the 2024 presidential elections, Frelimo won just 4.4 million votes, according to the official count. If this number is accepted, then one and a half million Frelimo members did not vote for their candidate.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 03 Apr (AIM) – Luís Giquira, mayor of the city of Nampula, in northern Mozambique, launched a project on Thursday to rehabilitate around 2.6 kilometers of roads.

The project, budgeted at 150 million meticais (2.3 million dollars, at current exchange rates), aims to improve urban mobility and traffic conditions.

According to Giquira, cited by the independent daily “O País”, although the road is the responsibility of the National Road Administration (ANE), the municipality decided to move forward with the intervention.

“The measure is essential to respond to residents’ concerns and ensure better traffic conditions. The works focus on Avenida 25 de Setembro, one of the city’s main roads”, he stated.

He also revealed that the project was financed from the Municipality’s own budget.

“We want the work to be done well this time, because many roads that were previously rehabilitated did not last,” he said.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 3 April (AIM) – The United States government donated protective equipment against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats to the Mozambican State.

The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Maputo, Abigail Dressel, handed over the equipment to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Victor Canhemba Júnior, on Thursday.

Speaking at the delivery ceremony, Canhemba Júnior said that the gesture symbolizes “not only the delivery of material resources, but above all the strengthening of a strategic partnership based on mutual trust and commitment to the protection of human life and the environment”.

“The threats associated with dangerous substances are no longer a distant concern, but a real risk with potential impact in any region of the world,” he stated.

In the specific case of chemical agents, he warned of their devastating effects, with an impact on public health, the environment and critical infrastructures, which requires greater institutional preparation and coordinated response capacity.

In this context, he highlighted the strategic role of SENSAP (National Security and Public Assistance System) as a first-line force in emergency situations, defending the continuous investment in technical resources and the training of its personnel.

“The donation of this material represents a significant reinforcement of our operational capacity, allowing us to improve readiness levels, reduce response times and increase the effectiveness of rescue operations,” he stated.

He also valued the training component, considering that the training provided to SENSAP members is a crucial step to guarantee the correct use of equipment and the dissemination of knowledge.

“Training not only ensures the correct use of resources, but also creates a nucleus of experts capable of replicating best practices across the country,” he added.

He also highlighted that responding to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction requires an integrated approach, involving the sectors of the State apparatus that deal with health, defense, environment and civil protection.

“This is a joint effort that requires institutional coordination and a multidisciplinary approach,” he said.

Canhemba Junior also reiterated Mozambique’s commitment to aligning its prevention and response mechanisms with international standards, taking into account its geostrategic position and the challenges associated with internal security.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 3 April (AIM) – The Ministry of Health of Mozambique launched on Thursday a Harmonized Planning Program that aims to optimize the use of available financial resources in a context of reduced donor funding.

According to the Minister of Health, Ussene Isse, the initiative aims to align the sector’s actions at national level, involving the government, partners, civil society and communities, in order to achieve more efficient and sustainable results.

The minister explained that the new model is based on the principle of “a plan, a budget and a monitoring system”, allowing to maximize the use of scarce resources.

“This approach will help us to better use available resources and ensure a greater impact of interventions in the health sector. Among the main challenges facing the sector are reduced funding, limited visibility of available resources, fragmentation of interventions and duplication of actions at local level”, he stated.

These weaknesses, he said, result in inefficiencies, making it difficult to respond to the communities’ priority problems.

The minister highlighted that harmonized planning will allow for a clearer definition of priorities, as well as a more efficient allocation of resources.

The initiative should also strengthen the community subsystem, promoting greater coherence between the priorities of the health sector and other areas of development, with a direct impact on improving access to healthcare.

Isse also highlighted the role of donors, euphemistically called “cooperation partners”, whose interventions, especially at community level, will be better coordinated through this model.

“The objective is to create a clear matrix of interventions by non-governmental organizations and partners, by province and district, in order to avoid duplication and improve the effectiveness of actions”, he said.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 2 Apr (AIM) – The Minister of Health of Mozambique, Ussene Isse, said he felt embarrassed by the theft of medicines from the country’s hospitals.

When giving the opening lecture at the Higher Institute of Health Sciences in Maputo, on Wednesday, Isse accused some health professionals of treating their patients “without due humanism”.

“I feel very ashamed when we are questioned by the public,” he admitted. He recalled that they told him: “Mr. Minister, here in your hospital they demand illegal charges. Here in your hospital they mistreat us. Here in your hospital they are stealing medicines. How can I be happy when I hear these things?”

The worst problems with illegal charges occurred in maternity wards, Isse said. Pregnant women hid money in their clothes to offer as bribes in exchange for preferential treatment.

Isse also criticized the health professionals who participated in the demonstrations. “A good healthcare professional does not live in busy environments”, he warned.

He urged hospital managers to analyze the level of satisfaction of hospital users and insisted that medical faculties must teach medical ethics.
(AIM)
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