A LONG TRADITION
Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Mozambique
BIOGRAPHY
President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, in power for over a year, is considered a man of the people. From humble beginnings in the north of the country, his mandate as president has been to continue the work of his predecessor, Armando Guebuza, and oversee the inflow of foreign investment and development of the country’s strategic resources.Filipe Jacinto Nyusi was born in 1959 in the northern town of Mueda, Cabo Delgado Province, the heartland of a stirring national liberation movement that aimed to rid the country of Portuguese colonial rule. An early witness to conflict, he was taken across the Ruvuma River to Tanzania, a key ally of the movement, at the beginning of the War of Independence in 1964, where he completed his primary education at a Frelimo school. He was able to return to Delgado Province, now liberated, for secondary education, later finishing at a school in Beira following independence in 1975. He joined Frelimo, of which his parents were both veterans, during the War of Independence, when he was just 14. He went on to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering from Brno University of Technology in former Czechoslovakia, later followed by post graduate studies in management at the Victoria University of Manchester, UK.
Nyusi began his professional career at Mozambique's rail and ports company, Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique, in 1992, the year the Civil War, which had raged between Frelimo and its opposition Renamo, drew to a close. The country's first multi-party elections were held in 1994. In a sign of his ambition, Nyusi worked his way up the chain of command at Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique, becoming Executive Director in 1995 and joining the Board of Directors in 2007. Having caught the eye of former President Armando Guebuza, Nyusi was appointed Minister of Defense in March 2008, replacing Tobias Joaquim Dai, who had lost face following an inquiry into negligence over an explosion at the Malhazine armory in Maputo, a disaster that killed over 100 people.
During his time as Minister of Defense, Nyusi committed Mozambique to tackling challenges such as piracy, illegal fishing, and pollution, also notifying the armed forces to prepare for an increased role with regard to humanitarian missions as part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN).
In 2012, Nyusi was elected to the party central committee, gaining traction due to his close links to the liberation struggle. As a key ally of President Guebuza, he was a natural choice as Frelimo's candidate as his now predecessor's second term ended, and was confirmed as the nominee at the Frelimo Central Committee. On election day in mid October 2014, Nyusi won the popular vote, claiming just over 57% compared to Afonso Dhlakama, the Renamo candidate, on 36.6%. The remainder of the votes went to Democratic Movement of Mozambique candidate Daviz Simango. Being from the north of country is said to have bolstered Nyusi's solid performance in that region, while he also proved popular, despite being a relative unknown, in the south. He was inaugurated as President on January 15, 2015. Unlike Guebuza, however, Nyusi presides over a country that is suffering due to globally low commodity prices and the resultant currency depreciation, and the growth figures of the mid 2000s have been replaced by more moderate growth expectations. With that in mind, Nyusi is keen to see Mozambique's resources put to better use than as merely an export revenue driver. A gas master plan has been drawn up, developed alongside the World Bank, to promote the exploitation of large-scale, under-development natural gas reserves for use in industrial developments. Elsewhere, and the government is also focusing on social matters, including social subsidies, health, and education spending, with the category representing the heftiest share of budgets in recent years.
Moving forward, GDP is expected to grow by around 5% in the coming two years, and the aim for President Nyusi will be to ensure that growth correlates with a significant reduction in poverty. Elsewhere, and Nyusi is tasked with addressing reconciliation between the two main political parties, Frelimo and Renamo, as well as disarmament. Doing so is key not just for the future stability of Mozambique, but also for its ability to attract the investment it needs to effectively utilize its vast natural resources and promote a sustainable future for the country.
A LONG TRADITION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Review: Economy
Much to Gain
Despite numerous years of considerable economic growth, Mozambique has been unable to retain its wealth and bring more than half of its population out of poverty. Developing one of the world's largest gas reserves and becoming a regional exporter of energy may be the solution.
read articleFocus: Aluminum
Foil Plans
Mozambique is the second-largest producer of aluminum in Africa and the 14th in the world. Since 2000, it has been producing aluminum for export, and in 2015 Midal Cables opened a factory near Mozal; the country's largest aluminum smelter. This could be the start of a Mozambican aluminum value chain.
read articleInterview
Ben James, Managing Director, Baobab Resources
TBY talks to Ben James, Baobab's Managing Director, resident in Mozambique. A geologist by training, Ben has been directly involved with the development of the Company's Tete Project from a greenfields iron ore discovery to an asset on the verge of corner-stoning Mozambique's nascent steel industry.
read articleFocus: Aluminum
Aluminum Legacy
Mozambique is the second-largest producer of aluminum in Africa and the 14th in the world. Since 2000, it has been producing aluminum for export, and in 2015 Midal Cables opened a factory near Mozal; the country's largest aluminum smelter. This could be the start of a Mozambican aluminum value chain.
read articleInterview
Hon. Jorge Olívio Penicela Nhambiu, Minister, Science and Technology, Higher and Technical Vocational Education (MCTESTP)
TBY talks to Hon. Jorge Olívio Penicela Nhambiu, Minister of Science and Technology, Higher and Technical Vocational Education (MCTESTP), on bringing science and technology to rural areas and increasing research in the country.
read articleFocus: E-government + E-bau
Digital Decisions
Between 2015 and 2016, Mozambique fell five positions in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. The government is investing in the GovNET and e-BAU platforms to facilitate procedures and cut the costs of acquiring business licenses and improving services provided to the public.
read articleReview: Health
Time for a check-up
Mozambique's healthcare budget rose to $561.5 million in 2015, an increase of 1.1% on expenditure in 2014, accounting for 10.2% of the state budget. Total healthcare expenditure in 2014 was $477.5 million. The Ministry for Health oversees the sector and is responsible for setting the budget each year.
read articleInterview
Dr. João M. Carvalho Fumane, Director General , Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM)
TBY talks to Dr. João M. Carvalho Fumane, Director General of Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM), about the range of services on offer and what is being done to further excellence in the health sector
read articleInterview
Hon. Jorge Ferrão, Minister, Education and Human Development
<span style="line-height: 1.6em; background-color: initial;">TBY talks to Hon. Jorge Ferrão, Minister of Education and Human Development, on the goals of the ministry, the role of local languages, and tackling teacher absenteeism.</span>
read articleInterview
Prof. Doctor João Leopoldo da Costa, Rector, Instituto Superior de Ciências e Tecnologia de Moçambique (ISCTEM)
TBY talks to Prof. Doctor João Leopoldo da Costa, Rector of Instituto Superior de Ciências e Tecnologia de Moçambique (ISCTEM), on the perils of the internet on education and the quality of its high school.
read articleReview: Tourism
Mozambeach
With white-sand beaches, scuba diving, and game reserves among its wide range of accommodation, Mozambique is a goldmine for tourism. However, to attract the number of tourists the country is aiming for, and entitled to, it will have to compete with its considerably more popular neighbors.
read articleReview: Legal
Smart Choices
Foreign investments are sources of capital, foreign exchange, and technical know-how for developing countries such as Mozambique. Over the past three decades, Mozambique has been successfully striving to ensure a favorable legal framework for foreign private investment.
read article
