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Mozambique's public and private sectors are working together to promote female empowerment at the business level.
The participation of woman in political and economic life, though improving, is still far from equal everywhere. The American scientist, Robert Ballard, once said that the most important thing people can do to save our planet and the human race is to empower women. If this is true at all, then it should be all the more true in Africa.
Article 36 of the Mozambican Constitution of 2004 states, “men and women are equal before the law in all aspects of political, economic, social, and cultural life." Other statutory instruments such as the Labor Law are also gender friendly, but women will never be able to benefit from it unless they move from the informal to the formal sector. In fact, it is estimated that more than 80% of working women in Mozambique are employed in the informal sector. Natividade Bule, a founding member and Ex-President of Ntamú, is working to improve this situation and explained to TBY how the association runs training courses, speeches, and assists women in getting IDs, VAT registration, and helps them with bureaucratic processes.
According to the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, where 0 represents inequality and 1 represents equality, Mozambique scored 0.7349. At first glance, this is definitely a very good position and places Mozambique 26th out of 146 countries. Nevertheless, gender equality is not the same as female empowerment. Aware of this, both the public and the private sectors in Mozambique are developing initiatives to entrust and unleash the potential of women and girls, especially as entrepreneurs. One example of these initiatives is the first Business Woman Forum celebrated in Maputo in October 2015 and attended by his Excellency President Nyusi and a number of the most influential women in the country.
Little by little, women, who not long ago could not open a bank account in the country without their husbands permission, are more and more involved in all the sectors of the economy. The General Director of the National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (INTIC), Dulce Chicundo, told TBY that the number of women taking ICT courses in the provinces of Tete, Zambézia and Nampula is larger than the number of men. Their last records show that for every 100 women there were only 64 men in Tete, and 83 in Zambézia and Nampula. In total, 60% of the trainees in the governmental Provincial Digital Resource Centres (CPRDs) and Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) are women.
Even in areas of the economy that are much more physically demanding, such as agriculture, Mozambican women are outperforming men. Hon. José Condugua Pacheco, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, told TBY that this year women dominated the annual awards for agriculture, including the main prize, which was for the Women's Association of Zambézia Province.
In terms of education, women are also taking major steps forward. Most universities see a higher number of female students and graduates every year. Nevertheless, as Dalila Tsihlakis, Director of Ronil, explained to TBY, men still today receive a culture shock and struggle to accept orders from a woman, especially before reaching management, in mid-level positions and at the supervisor level.
Ana F. Gunde, CEO of Diamond Seguros, has applauded the efforts of the government in terms of uplifting women. “The number of women in the new cabinet has increased. There has to be a lot of encouragement in terms of educating women and removing obstacles that currently inhibit women from doing more. There is still the pervading sentiment that men can do more, so women in positions of influence need to come up with programs, seminars, or conferences whereby upcoming women are called together to share experiences and support each other. Having a role model and being able to look up to someone is invaluable. ... It is important to hear from women in top positions discussing in the media the importance of enabling all women to succeed."
The first female head of state in the African continent and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work," Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said once if your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. A new generation of women in Africa is already trying to live by these words.
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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.
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