Mozambique:Government to carry on supporting environmental education

The government reaffirms its dedication to maintaining a conversation with all facets of society, especially young people, in order to increase the resilience of local communities in the face of climate change.

At the first national youth consultation on women's activism for climate justice on Monday in Maputo, the Minister of Land and Environment took this stance.

Ivete Maibaze emphasized that the administration will continue to advocate for holistic strategies that uphold human rights in case of a climate emergency.

The minister believes it's critical to keep advancing initiatives to teach young people about climate change and to get them involved in programs for grappling with it.

A declaration outlining the stance of Mozambican youth in the two-day meeting will be prepared after it comes to the conclusion.

Max Tonela in Washington DC:Terrorism has been exerting "exceptional pressure" on accounts in Cabo Delgado

The terrorism in Cabo Delgado, according to Mozambique's Economy Minister Max Tonela, has put tremendous strain on the nation's finances, but he claimed that "problems of national defense are issues of sovereignty" and will always take precedence.

Tonela said that in meetings he held in the US capital to mobilize resources, the attacks in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique were in the forefront. Tonela was speaking to Lusa on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

We used this chance to communicate with our cooperation partners, mostly on a multilateral but also on a bilateral basis, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Additionally, we touched on Mozambique's development challenges during our discussions.

In that regard, Tonela stated that it was feasible to "open doors for us to access additional resources and there are technical discussions which will commence as a result of the understandings we achieved."

Article: Lusa

Ukraine and Mozambique to Strengthen ties

Mozambique and Ukraine are interested in forging a league of friendship and deepening their mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly in the parliamentary and economic spheres.

In Maputo on Friday, Esperança Bias, the president of the assembly of the republic, met with a delegation from Ukraine led by the vice president of that nation's parliament.

Hélder Ndjonjo, the Assembly of the Republic's first vice president, declared that the friendship league he plans to establish will strengthen ties between the two nations' populations.

Even today, the ambassador of Norway and the high commissioner of Mauritius to Mozambique were given audiences by the president of the Assembly of the Republic. (RM)

Japan donates ambulances to Mozambique

Photo: Twitter / @The Japanese government on Friday donated three ambulance to Mozambique aimed at improving provision of emergency health care in the northern provinces of Niassa, Nampula and Cabo Delgado.

The donation is part of the project to strengthen integrated services of sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence for displaced girls and women, as well as host communities.

Speaking during the ceremony, Health Minister Armindo Tiago said that Japan is a key and long-standing development partner of the Mozambican government, highly committed in supporting programmes that seek the social well-being of the Mozambican people.

According to Tiago, the health sector is among those that have benefited from Japan’s support, and this Friday’s donation is a clear indication.

“We are talking about the donation of vehicles to three provinces in the north of the country, affected by terrorism, which will contribute not only for the expansion and supply of vital sexual and reproductive health services, but also to respond to gender-based violence,” he explained.

Tiago recalled that lately the country has been ravaged by calamities and disasters, including cyclones, tropical storms and floods, terrorist attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic.

All these factors, the minister added, “force us to adapt our interventions to provide assistance to the populations that are often displaced, increasing demand in places not previously foreseen and also reducing our assistance capability in those areas affected by insecurity and destruction of infrastructures”.

He assured that the government will continue to work with its partners to ensure coverage of the needs in terms of ambulances for effective operation of referral and counter-referral of patients.

For his part, the Japanese ambassador Kimura Hajime said that his country has been working with the Mozambican government to mitigate the suffering of the people.

Therefore, he believes that the ambulances donated today will improve services rendered the displaced people in the northern part of the country.

“We are convinced that, with these vehicles, we are minimising the suffering of the close to a million displaced people, guaranteeing better and timely medical care”, he explained.

He announced that another 28 new ambulances are in the process of being imported, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Source: AIM

Country. Resumption of process of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Renamo armed men

In the coming days, the process of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Renamo armed men (DDR) will resume in the country.

The guarantee comes from the President of the Republic and the President of Renamo, who reiterate that the DDR process will be completed by the end of the year.

Filipe Nyusi and Ossufo Momade gave the guarantee at a meeting held this Friday, in which the issue of DDR was addressed, as well as issues related to the form and sustainability of the application of pensions and the framework in the Police of the Republic of Mozambique.

In a statement, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Mozambique and President of the Contact Group, Mirko Manzoni, says that Nyusi and Momade also reaffirmed their dedication to prioritizing dialogue as the foundation for building lasting peace.

“As the United Nations, we stand together with the Mozambican people to ensure that the country remains on the right path to achieve definitive peace and national reconciliation for the benefit of all,” the document reads. (RM)

PR guarantees that by next December the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Renamo residual men will be completed

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, guarantees that by next December the process of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Renamo residual men (DDR) will be completed.

Filipe Nyusi revealed that so far 4,000 guerrillas of the 5,201 registered in the process have been demobilized.

Speaking at Praça dos Heróis Mozambicans, in Maputo, at the central ceremonies of the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the General Peace Agreement, Nyusi said that the path to lasting peace is open.

“Here we must confess that the climate that is experienced in towns, villages, in the localities with our Renamo brothers is satisfactory, it is gratifying and we continue to see each other as one body. 

We hope that by the end of this year we will be able to complete the DDR process, which will mark a milestone in the implementation of the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement. We take the opportunity to thank our cooperation partners, at various levels, who, with their invaluable support, contribute to achieving this goal”, he said.

The Mozambican statesman added that the Government will do everything to guarantee coexistence and respect for differences.

Nigerian investment in Mozambique tops US$44 million in 5 years, expected to grow in the near

Nigerian High Commissioner in Mozambique, Yamah Mohammed Musa, said the Nigeria-Mozambique Business and Investment Forum would open space in the trade area so that more business can arise, thereby consolidating the economy of both countries.

“We are using this forum to invite Nigerian private entrepreneurs to come and explore business opportunities in Mozambique, because there is a lot of potential and a lot of resources which foreign investors can use as a source of financing for various investments in the country, and also showcase Nigeria’s potential,” Musa said.

Massingue.ccm_.fb_

Photo courtesy: Câmara de Comércio de Moçambique

One of the main goals of this business forum is to stimulate the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with strategies to this end already being implemented by some Mozambican entrepreneurs.

“We want, firstly, to make Nigerian entrepreneurs aware of the potential of Mozambique, secondly, to promote exchanges between entrepreneurs from the two countries, thirdly, to promote business partnerships and exchanges of services between Nigerian and Mozambican entrepreneurs, to promote investment and boost the economic development of micro, small and medium-sized companies in Mozambique and Nigeria, through the internationalisation of their products and services, and finally, to stimulate business between Africans, that is, intra-African business,” declared Álvaro Massingue, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Mozambique.

Interviewed by ‘O País Económico’, Otieno Salimu, a Nigerian businessman who works in Mozambique, stressed that Mozambique had a positive business environment, making it worthwhile continuing to invest.

“For me, Mozambique has a good business environment and can profit from Nigeria’s experience in the areas of oil and petroleum, given that the country has developed in these areas, and I believe that it can take advantage of these areas, as well as in agriculture,” Salimu said.

The Business Forum in Maputo, which brings together businesspeople from Nigeria and Mozambique, runs under the motto “Creating Opportunities for Partnership, Investment and Economic Growth”, and ends this Friday.

O Pais.

STAE confident about holding municipal elections next year

The deputy director general of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE), Estevão Fernandes, says there are signs that the budget deficit for holding the municipal elections next year could be overcome shortly.

 Estevão Fernandes says that the government and partners are committed to mobilizing the missing amount of 1.9 billion.

 “From the budget that the electoral bodies had presented to the government, which was 3.2 billion, there was a deficit, until very recently, of 1.9 billion. This amount will be disbursed very soon, in a process that is being dealt with at the level of the Ministry of Economy and Finance”, he said.

The Deputy Director General of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration was speaking this Friday in the city of Beira, in Sofala, at the inauguration of new deputy provincial directors and heads of STAE departments.

 Regarding the voter registration process, whose process is scheduled for February next year, the Deputy Director General of STAE assured that everything had been taken care of. (RM)

President addresses message for the celebration of the International Day of the Elderly

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, guarantees that the government will continue to promote actions for the well-being of the elderly population, adopting policies, strategies, practices and legislation that are more appropriate for their well-being.

In a message on the occasion of the International Day of the Elderly, Filipe Nyusi praises the contribution made by the elderly population in responding to the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic, conflicts and climate change.

“We are all called, first and foremost, to change the way people think and act about the elderly and to work for the defense of their rights” – reads the message

In the country, the elderly are faced with discrimination, exclusion, abuse and violence in their own family and community and often by those who should protect them.

Faced with this reality, the Head of State urges all Mozambicans to adopt an attitude that dignifies the elderly, ensuring that they enjoy equal rights, without discrimination, violence or exclusion of any kind.

The International Day of the Older Person is celebrated on October 1st, to honor the elderly and to raise society's awareness about the challenges of aging, in order to make decisions that better protect and promote the human rights of this layer of the population.

Established by the United Nations in 1990, this year's celebrations come the second year after the United Nations General Assembly declared the period 2021 to 2030 the Decade for Healthy Aging. (RM

Bank of Mozambique raises monetary policy interest rate to 17.25

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Mozambique decided today to increase the monetary policy interest rate, the MIMO rate, from 15.25% to 17.25%.

A communiqué received in our editorial office states that the measure aims to ensure the return of inflation to single digits, in the medium term, in a context in which it is expected that the volatility of the prices of energy and food products will continue at international level, in view of the prolongation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

According to the document, forecasts of economic recovery in 2022 and 2023 are maintained, despite the prospects of a slowdown in external demand sustained by the execution of energy projects in Inhambane and in the Rovuma basin and by the start of liquefied gas exports, in the context of implementing the program with the International Monetary Fund and resuming external assistance from cooperation partners. (RM)

Watch announcement by Banco de Moçambique on YouTube

Defense ministers of Mozambique and Tanzania meet in Maputo

The Defense Ministers of Mozambique and Tanzania are analyzing, this Thursday, in Maputo, Defense and Security matters in the two countries.

The Ministry of Defense says that the meeting is taking place within the framework of the fourth session of the Permanent Joint Commission for Defense and Security of Mozambique and Tanzania.

The meeting will, among other matters, analyze bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and design actions to be developed in the fields of Defense, Public Security and State Security. (RM)

16 Terrorists Dead: Mozambique Defense Forces

   

AT least sixteen bodies of terrorists were found in the woods of Quissanga district, Cabo Delgado province. Some were killed in clashes with the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) and others attacked by animals.

The information was shared yesterday by the general commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), Bernardino Rafael, in a meeting with the population of the village of Natuco, in the district of Quissanga.

According to Rafael, the terrorists were part of the group that on September 25 attacked the village of Natuco, where they murdered people and set fire to houses.

“As I speak to you, I have to say that the bodies of the sixteen terrorists are being buried. Some died from bullets from our forces and others as a result of attacks by animals such as lions, buffaloes and snakes”, said the commander-in-chief, adding that the incursion of the criminals into Natuco was led by an individual identified by the unique name of Zubair, from Memba, Nampula province.

Source: Diário Notícias

"Minister of Economy and Finance will be heard this Thursday by Parliamentary Committees - Rádio Moçambique

    Rádio Moçambique 

 

Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, will be heard this Thursday by the Committees on Constitutional Affairs, Human Rights and Legality, Planning and Budget and Public Administration and Local Power of the Assembly of the Republic.

A document states that the Proposed Law that Defines the Rules and Criteria for Setting the Remuneration of Public Servants, Holders or Members of Public Bodies and Holders and Members of the Administration of Justice Bodies within the scope of implementation will be discussed at the hearing  (RM)

“Friendly political parties express their repudiation of terrorist action” - Frelimo SG

Frelimo's Secretary General says that friendly political parties have expressed their repudiation of terrorist action in some areas of northern Mozambique.

Roque Silva was speaking today in Maputo, at the end of an audience he granted to a group of representatives of foreign political parties, who participated in Frelimo's Twelfth.

On the occasion, the Frelimo leader said that he received a clear message, that the fight against terrorism should not be a challenge only for Mozambique. (RM)

Gaza. Budget suspension for municipalities affects works by Xai-Xai municipality

The suspension of the budget approved this year for the Municipalities by the Road Fund is making the rehabilitation and paving of some access roads in the Xai-Xai municipality unfeasible.

A little over thirteen million meticais should be received from the City Hall from the Road Fund for the paving of five hundred meters of the road that gives access to Praia de Chongoene, departing from the tourist area of ​​Praia de Xai-Xai.

The mayor of Xai-Xai, Emídio Xavier, said that the rise in fuel costs and the removal of some tax charges that reverted to the Road Fund dictated the suspension of the budget that was intended for the municipalities.

Emídio Xavier made it known that given the scenario, negotiations are taking place with the central bodies to unblock the situation that affects all municipalities in the province of Gaza. (RM)

Zambezia. Three individuals indicted for illegal sale of medicines from the National Health System arrested

Three individuals aged between thirty-five and forty-six years old are being held in the provincial command of the PRM, in Zambézia. for illegal sale of medicines from the national health system.

The arrest took place in the town of Mugeba, district of Mocuba, and the alleged sellers were neutralized in the local market, in possession of unspecified quantities of drugs.

Asked about the origin of the medicines, they alleged that they bought them from private pharmacies in Mozambique and neighboring Malawi, for resale.

The head of Public Relations at the provincial command of the PRM in Zambézia, Miguel Caetano, says that the individuals, now detained, have been engaged in the illegal sale of medicines from the National Health Service for three years. (RM)

Cabo Delgado. 16 individuals who lived with terrorists turn themselves in to authorities

Sixteen individuals, who lived in captivity of terrorists, surrendered to the authorities, last week, in Cabo Delgado.

The fact occurs, a week after the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, announced in the municipal town of Mocímboa da Praia, pardon for those who voluntarily surrender to the authorities or the Defense and Security Forces.

General Commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), Bernardino Rafael, is the one who shared the information, this Wednesday, in a brief meeting with the population at the headquarters of the administrative post of Bilibiza, in the district of Quissanga.

"In Mocímboa da Praia they have already started to return to their homes",  he appealed.

Sixteen people who have been in the hands of terrorists have already returned, including guerrillas, terrorists themselves,” he said.

 Bernardino Rafael took the opportunity to reinforce the appeal of the Head of State.

“Those who have gone into hiding and are afraid to come out can come out at will. We will receive them, with orders from our commander-in-chief," he said.

The General Commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, in addition to Bilibiza, was in the village of Natugo, which was the target of a terrorist attack on the 25th of this month, to find out about the damage.

Yesterday, the Commander-General of the PRM presented to the population of the district of Quissanga, four terrorists captured by the Defense and Security Forces.     

Among those captured is an individual who was dedicated to the recruitment and radicalization of citizens.  Rádio Moçambique 

Beira: Reconstruction after cyclone Idai

  This year, in  Beira City the reconstruction works of several public buildings destroyed during the passage of tropical cyclone Idai in March 2019 will comence as announced by the executive director of the Post-Cyclone Reconstruction Office (GREPOC), Luís Mandlate.

These are the Provincial House of Culture, Provincial Service of Justice and Labour, 1st Civil Registry Office, Provincial Library, 1st Notary Public, Sports Pavilion, National Public Safety Service, Regional Public Emergency Warehouse, the Office of the Secretary of Sofala State and Provincial Directorate of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources.

The works are covered by financing from the World Bank, to the tune of 12 million dollars. Likewise, they will be applied in 37 other projects in the districts of Nhamatanda, Dondo and Búzi and 21 located in Cabo Delgado province, all affected by the Kenneth storm in 2019.

Drug addiction: Alarming trend.

 

   O País

  2:23 CAT | 27 Sep 2022

Official figures from the Central Office for the Prevention and Fight against Drugs (GCCPD) indicate that drug addiction in Mozambique rose about 14% between 2020 and 2021, with the provinces of Manica, Nampula, Sofala and Maputo seeing the most cases.

The national model of rehabilitation for drug addicts may not be the most appropriate, warns mental health expert Júlio Macamo.

Júlio tried cannabis sativa, aka ‘soruma’, at the age of 14, at the invitation of a friend. By the age of 16, he had already used more than two types of drugs. He stole items from his parents’ house to sell for money to buy drugs, he confesses.

“The evil lies in experimenting. I tried it, I liked the feeling and started to consume it. I met people who got into the world of crime, and I was about to get involved myself, because I hung out with friends, one of whom had his father’s gun, who was a police officer. Little by little, I was trying more things,” the interviewee says.

At a certain point in his life, Júlio realised that he was on a path that could lead to his death, and that was the start of a happy ending. With the help of relatives and friends, he managed to rehabilitate himself.

“One day, when I was drugged, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought: ‘I’m that uncle I always said I didn’t want to be’, because when we’re kids, we look at that uncle from the area, who drinks and creates trouble, and we don’t want to be like him. So I looked at myself and I saw myself as that drug-addict uncle. When I realised this, I started looking for help,” he explains.

Júlio’s testimony is just one example of what happens all over the country, and GCCPD figures point to an increase in drug addiction country-wide.

“In 2020, we had 9,788 [addicts] and, in 2021, this number increased to 11,164, so we are seeing growth of around 14%,” says Orlando Alberto, head of the Department of Public Education at the Central Office for the Prevention and Combat of Drugs.

According to Alberto, the provinces of Manica, Nampula, Sofala and Maputo lead the statistics table.

“Last year, the province of Manica had 2,713 cases, which represents 24% of the total. Nampula, with 2,416, corresponds to 21%, while Sofala had 2,084 and Maputo City had 2,050,” he details.

The GCCPD records 2,050 cases for Maputo city, while the Health Directorate presented a different figure of around 3100.

“Last year, we had 3,057 cases in outpatient consultations, which means that there were around 3,000 people who approached the hospital,” says Maputo City Health Directorate representative Maria de Lurdes Sive.

The health sector is not only concerned about the increase in drug addicts, but also about the number of those mentally ill as a result of drug use. In 2021, 9,000 were admitted to the Infulene Psychiatric Hospital, in Maputo.

“In our largest psychiatric hospital [Infulene], the main cause of hospitalisation is mental and behavioural disorders due to the consumption of toxic substances. In the 2021 report, we learned that about 9,000 people sought mental health services for issues related to mental disorders and substance use,” says Elisa Mfumo, head of the Department of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health.

More up-to-date data from the GCPCD indicate that, in the first half of this year, more than 4,000 people with mental and behavioural problems caused by drug consumption were admitted to health service units.

Cannabis sativa and alcohol are the most-consumed substances, due to their easy availability. Adolescents and young students are among those who consume drugs most, often mixing them.

“It is with great sadness that I report that we have more teenagers and young people, aged 14-17, in the rehabilitation program. At the moment, there are 67,” says Anderson Jesus, representative of the REMAR rehabilitation centre.

The country does not have a hospital specialising in the treatment of drug addiction. Patients are admitted to the Infulene Psychiatric Hospital and this overloads the health unit.

“In addition to treating two people with schizophrenia and mental retardation, we also have to assist drug addicts, as is their right,” says Infulene Psychiatric Hospital director Serena Chachuaio. “A drug addict often has disciplinary problems, which is why they often destroy sponges or clog faucets in order to protest against hospitalisation by their relatives.”

Psychologist Celma Ricardo is critical of the country’s rehabilitation model.

“We don’t have a one-stop centre, so that the individual doesn’t have to go from one hospital to the other. We don’t have a unit that supports an individual for complete rehabilitation, with the ability to provide psychological follow-up, with a psychiatrist providing assistance and activities to occupy them and help them stop using drugs,” she says.

The Maputo City Health Directorate recognizes the problem and promises improvements.

“Together with the government, we are working towards opening a rehabilitation centre for these cases. It won’t happen from one day to the next, so until then we will continue to work with the Infulene Psychiatric Hospital,” Maria de Lurdes Sive explains.

According to SERNIC, during the first six months of this year, close to 400 drug trafficking and consumption cases were registered, against about 300 in the same period in 2021. Narcotics valued at an estimated 50 million meticais were seized.

In 2019, the United Nations cited Mozambique as a major corridor for large volumes of drugs.

Source:O Pais.

New equipment increases handling capacity at Port of Beira – Notícias

File photo: Notícias

The port of Beira has substantially increased its cargo handling capacity, as well as reinforcing safety, with the acquisition of new equipment valued at US$10 million.

Jan Laurens de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of Cornelder de Moçambique, which manages the Beira port complex, announced that the port’s cranes had been modernised with the installation of the ‘C-Gate’ computer system, which is already boosting the competitiveness of the Beira Development Corridor.

The process, he explained, permits the real-time automation of access control for trucks, as well as the registration of the drivers, vehicles and containers which routinely access the container terminal.

This project, whose ultimate goal is total automation, is still in its first stages, de Vries said.

Source: Notícias