Development In Mozambique Research Articles

Geostatistics and GIS as a Technique for Chemical Soil Properties Mapping

Soil properties play a fundamental role in agriculture, and understanding their spatial distribution is essential for effective land management and increasing agricultural productivity. This study focuses on the application of geostatistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as techniques for mapping soil properties, in the case of the Mozambique Sugar cane company (ADM) in Mafambisse, in the province of Sofala, Mozambique. The central objective is to demonstrate how geostatistics and GIS can be used to characterize and map soil properties. The research was materialized using field surveys that estimated the pH in the field of several sampling points at different depths in the irrigated perimeter of the ADM. Geostatistics is applied, using methods such as kriging and variogram analysis, allowing the creation of continuous maps that represent soil properties in unsampled locations. GIS is an essential tool for integrating geostatistical data and creating accessible and informative maps. The results of this study indicate that the combination of geostatistics and GIS offers an effective approach for mapping soil properties. This knowledge is crucial for Mozambique sugar cane company, an important company in the sugar industry, to optimize its agricultural practices, increase productivity and minimize environmental impacts. Thus, offering solid bases for making informed and sustainable agricultural decisions, contributing to efficient agricultural development in Mozambique and other regions with similar challenges.

H7N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Mozambique, 2023

ABSTRACT On 13 October 2023, the National Directorate for Livestock Development in Mozambique was notified of a suspected outbreak of avian influenza in commercial layers. Samples were screened by real-time and conventional RT–PCR and were positive for both H7 and N6. Full genome sequences were obtained for three representative samples. Sequence analysis of the H7 cleavage site confirmed that the viruses were highly pathogenic (i.e. 333- PEPPKGPRFRR/GLF-346). In addition, the H7 and N6 sequences were highly similar (from 99.4-99.5% and 99.6-99.7% for the HA gene and the NA gene, respectively) to the sequences of a H7N6 virus identified in the Republic of South Africa in May 2023 indicating a similar origin of the viruses. The identification of H7N6 HPAIV in Mozambique has important implications for disease management and food security in the region.

A systematic literature review to explore sustainable energy development practices in Mozambique

Abstract This study thoroughly evaluates sustainable energy practices in Mozambique, identifies suitable activities and suggests future research directions. The authors meticulously detail the research tasks undertaken to achieve the primary objective of the study, including organizing articles by publication year, journal and conference papers; identifying the most frequently cited articles; and recognizing countries that have made significant contributions to the concept of sustainable energy. The study highlights the most relevant sustainable energy development practices for Mozambique, identifies suitable activities and suggests future research directions. Through rigorous analysis, six significant areas of sustainable energy development were identified, including renewable energy (RE) resources, environmental science, social sciences, computer science, management and accounting, and Earth and planetary sciences. The study used Scopus as the selected multidisciplinary peer-reviewed citation database on 20 February 2023, resulting in 76 publications. The study has been conducted nationwide for several months and thoroughly investigates various resources such as hydro, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy. It achieves this by evaluating and characterizing the power generation potential of each RE resource and, in addition, identifying and examining numerous projects at the technical and economic feasibility level to promote the potential of projects and the advantages of RE for the sustainable development of Mozambique. The findings indicate that for sustainable energy development in Mozambique, it is crucial to introduce more policies to support the effectiveness of RE systems while involving the private sector. To achieve this, measures such as reducing investment risks, guaranteeing investment returns and establishing a transparent regulatory framework are required. These steps will attract substantial investments, resolve conflicts and motivate key stakeholders to actively participate in the process.

Who is responsible for developing energy policy interventions in Mozambique? A stakeholder analysis and social network analysis

PurposeThis study highlights the crucial significance of stakeholder participation in the creation of a comprehensive energy and electrical master plan for Mozambique. The purpose of this study is to deliver a practical insights that transcend theoretical concerns by digging into the subtleties of stakeholder relationships and strategic collaborations, paving the path for pragmatic and meaningful solutions that connect with real-life conditions. This debate lays the groundwork for educated decision-making, propelling Mozambique’s energy industry towards a more sustainable and prosperous future.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a combined approach of stakeholder analysis (SA) and social network analysis (SNA) to enhance our understanding of the stakeholder landscape in Mozambique’s energy sector. This methodological approach offers a unique vantage point to examine the individual stakeholders’ roles and the intricate web of connections, partnerships, collaborations and information-sharing activities. By integrating SA and SNA, this study aims to provide a more comprehensive and dynamic depiction of stakeholder interactions, contributing methodologically to the existing body of literature.FindingsThe findings also highlight the need to develop frameworks that promote private investment and joint endeavours with entities such as Cahora Bassa Dam/Mozambique Transmission Company. A consistent legal framework ensures uniform performance and a robust monitoring system for ongoing projects, improving accountability and progress tracking. Furthermore, the discussion includes enhancing the competence of the regulatory agency regulating the electricity industry. This includes tackling complex concerns with electricity pricing and other regulatory aspects relevant to private investment. A highly empowered regulatory agency is critical to creating an atmosphere conducive to long-term private sector involvement.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the study emphasises the need to integrate multiple stakeholders, it may not detail specific issues or impediments that may develop during the engagement process. Additional research could look into potential tensions or barriers to effective collaboration. Furthermore, the study emphasises the necessity of addressing environmental impacts; it must thoroughly examine specific environmental concerns such as carbon emissions, deforestation or renewable energy possibilities. Future research could assess the suggested policies’ environmental impact more extensively. Additionally, while the conclusion briefly mentions economic prosperity, a more thorough consideration of the possible economic and social implications of various energy policies could provide a greater understanding of their practicality and potential benefits.Practical implicationsIn terms of practical contributions, this study aspires to shed light on how stakeholder interactions can shape energy policy interventions that ensure reliable and affordable energy sources for economic development and societal well-being. By unveiling the complex network of relationships and partnerships, this study seeks to provide actionable insights for policymakers, industry players and other stakeholders involved in Mozambique’s energy sector. By taking this action, this research aims to pave the way for more effective and inclusive energy policies that align with circular economy principles, thus addressing a critical need in scholarly discourse and practical implementation.Originality/valueThe study underscores the critical role of energy stakeholders in shaping energy policies and projects, given their influential positions and impact on decision-making processes. While existing literature acknowledges this influence, a discernible research gap exists in comprehensively understanding how stakeholder interactions and collaborations in the energy sector affect policy interventions within a context such as Mozambique. This study seeks to bridge this gap by delving into the intricacies of stakeholder involvement and its implications for energy policy development in Mozambique.

Curriculum Management for the Society's Development in Mozambique

Curriculum Management for the Society's Development in Mozambique

DEV Mozambique: food security through innovative social enterprise development

Learning outcomes At the end of the case discussion, the students should be able to: evaluate the factors influencing entrepreneurship in an African context; discuss the relevance of developmental entrepreneurship in an African context; assess an enabling environment and ecosystem for stimulating entrepreneurship; analyse and resolve practical issues in starting a business under challenging conditions; understand how accelerator programmes work in an African context; appreciate how partnerships can be leveraged to foster entrepreneurship; evaluate relevant business models and their challenges to grow enterprises; and understand the social entrepreneurship journey of a founder. Case overview/synopsis In March 2019, Elena Gaffurini, managing partner of DEV Mozambique (DEV), sat down to evaluate the business. DEV, based in Maputo and launched in 2015, was a consulting and services company supporting entrepreneurial development in Mozambique, by training and supporting small businesses in agricultural-related sectors to improve food security. Gaffurini – a self-proclaimed purpose-driven person – now questioned whether DEV’s impact on social and economic development was significant enough to justify the effort she and her team put into it and whether DEV should reconsider its current business model to create more impact. Complexity academic level Postgraduate: MBA and Executive Education. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The African hero in Mozambican history: on assassinations and executions – Part II

SUMMARY Part I of ‘The African hero in Mozambican history’, published in issue 163, launched a discussion of the possible role of the individual in African history … both in general terms and in terms of understanding more precisely the implications of the assassination of Eduardo Mondlane for the further development of Mozambique. Now, in Part II, this essay similarly considers (in subsection 3) the assassination of Mondlane’s successor as leader of Frelimo (and the man who would later become the first president of a liberated Mozambique), Samora Machel. It remains focused on the broad theme of death and its impact on the history of Mozambique in subsection 4 that follows. But it now does so by reflecting upon the possible import of ‘execution as a mode of governance’, and specifically by re-examining Frelimo’s secret executions, sometime in the first decade of Mozambican independence, of Uriah Simango, his wife and a number of his colleagues, a group that had come to form the movement’s internal opposition when in exile in Tanzania in the 1960s. It suggests that these extremely secretive executions can best be seen as negative outcomes of the self-righteous vanguardism that has come to haunt Frelimo in power up to the present. Part II then concludes (in subsection 5) by examining a further series of deaths: the wave of mafia-style killings that, in this century (and beginning with the assassination of crusading journalist Carlos Cardoso in 2000), has come to be called ‘Mozambique’s quiet assassination epidemic’. How best, finally, to interpret such an unsavoury recent phenomenon as this grisly ‘epidemic’?

Institutional drivers, historical determinism, and economic development in Mozambique

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of political and economic institutions, their persistence and interdependence and their effects on economic progress in Mozambique.Design/methodology/approachUsing a unique data set, which has developed detailed long-run indices of institutional change in Mozambique from 1900 onwards, the research utilizes time-series econometrics to estimate cointegration relations and Vector Autoregressive and Vector Error Correction models, and also Granger causality, correlation and residual analysis when interpreting the estimation results.FindingsIt shows support for path dependence in political and economic institutions as well as the critical juncture theory and modernization hypothesis, and for webs of association between these institutions and economic development. It provides evidence of an equilibrium-dependent process, where history does matter (as do early conditions), and whose impact may differ depending on the nature of institutional arrangements. Various institutions created during colonial times have a bearing on the present state of institutions in Mozambique, as reflected in important continuities regarding the forms of political economy, among others.Originality/valueThe work contributes to existing research not only through the employment of a new set of institutional measures, which allows for a particularly long time-series investigation in a developing country setting, but also through its contribution to studies on modernization and critical junctures but in a longitudinal manner which allows for the exploration of complex dynamics embedded within a country’s particular political economy. The implications are far-reaching and carry importance beyond the academy given the pressure on policymakers to get things right because of the persistence of institutions and their consequences and the associated path dependency.

Faith communities, youth and development in Mozambique

In Mozambique, poverty is pervasive because of factors such as the civil war (1976–1992) and its aftermath, political instability, food scarcity and natural disasters. This article elucidates the situation of post-civil war Mozambique from a socio-political perspective with a specific focus on children and the youth as a particularly vulnerable group. Many children and young people have been displaced and are subject to work exploitation and sexual abuse. Female children also fall victim to the cultural practice of child marriage. The absence of comprehensive social measures for the protection of vulnerable young persons has a detrimental effect on their welfare and future prospects. The aim of the article is to explore the role that faith communities and church institutions can play in this context. From an inclusive congregational perspective, the inclusion of youth in all aspects of faith communities as a strategy for development is discussed. From a human rights and theological perspective, participatory action is required for faith communities and church institutions to contribute to making a life of human dignity possible for children and young people.

Trauma Surveillance and Registry Development in Mozambique: Results of a 1-Year Study and the First Phase of National Implementation.

Mozambique has had no policy-driven trauma system and no hospital-based trauma registries, and injury was not a public health priority. In other low-income countries, trauma system implementation and trauma registries have helped to reduce mortality from injury by up to 35%. In 2014, we introduced a trauma registry in four hospitals in Maputo serving 18,000 patients yearly. The project has since expanded nationally. This study summarizes the challenges, results, and lessons learned from this large national undertaking. Between October 2014-September 2015, we implemented a trauma registry at four hospitals in Maputo. In October 2015, the project began to be expanded nationally. Physicians and allied health professionals at each hospital were trained to implement the registry, and each identified and trained data collectors. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the key stakeholders of this project to identify the challenges, results, and creative solutions implemented for the success of this project. Most participants identified the importance of having a trauma registry and its usefulness in identifying gaps in trauma care. The registry identified that less than 5% of injured patients arrived by ambulance, which served as evidence for the need for a prehospital system, which the Ministry of Health had already begun implementing. Participants also highlighted how the registry has allowed for a structured clinical approach to patients, ensuring that severely injured patients are identified early. Challenges reported included the high rates of missing data, the difficulty in establishing a streamlined flow of trauma patients within each hospital, and the bureaucratic challenges faced when attempting to improve capacity for trauma care at each hospital by introducing a trauma bay and new technologies. Participants identified the need to improve data completeness, to disseminate the results of the project nationally and internationally, to improve inter-divisional cooperation, and to continue educating health providers on the importance of registries. Participants also identified political instabilities in the region as a potential source of challenge in expanding the project nationally; they also identified the lack of uniform resource allocation and low personnel in many areas, especially rural, as a major burden that would need to be overcome. Introduction of a trauma registry system in Mozambique is feasible and necessary. Initial findings provide insight into the nature of traumas seen in Maputo hospitals, but also underscore future challenges, especially in minimizing missing data, utilizing data to develop evidence-based trauma prevention policies, and ensuring the sustainability of these efforts by ensuring continued governmental support, education, and resource allocation. Many of these measures are being undertaken.

Challenges and Opportunities for Spatial Data Infrastructure Development in Mozambique

The importance of access to spatial data for development and resource management is widely acknowledged worldwide. Unrestricted, reliable and efficient access to accurate, timely, and up-to-date spatial data may be achieved through a spatial data infrastructure. Thus, most developed countries implemented and continue to develop their spatial data infrastructure. In Africa, there is a growing number of governments committed to spatial data infrastructure development. This paper aims to contribute to initialize an spatial data infrastructure in Mozambique. We identified and characterized through a survey the government institutions producing, sharing, and using spatial data in the country to estimate their potential contribution to the development of the Mozambican spatial data infrastructure. We found 12 institutions producing 15 thematic datasets which can constitute the core of the spatial data infrastructure for Mozambique. Two government agencies have the technical skills and policies to make spatial data available to the public. Based on the possible contribution of these institutions, this paper proposes an spatial data infrastructure for Mozambique based on four pillars: i) organizational framework; ii) legal framework; iii) technical framework; and iv) accessibility.

Policies and Strategies to Combat Poverty and to Promote Development in Mozambique: Elements of Continuity and Discontinuity

This article comes about with the objective of analyzing in a comparative way the elements of continuity and discontinuity between the policies and strategies to combat poverty and to promote development related to the foreign policy that Mozambique adopted after independence. The main idea is that these policies (PPI, PRE (S), PARPA's) did not achieve their goals; so much that they were updated successively, adjusting them according to the political-economic situation in which Mozambique was living. Mozambique pursued this path because it aimed to maintain the defense of the country's independence and sovereignty, eradicating poverty, consolidating national unity and strengthening democracy and freedom. Therefore, it is concluded that in these policies and strategies there is, on the one hand, a continuity of the objectives previously outlined, but also as the intention to better eradicate poverty and achieve development, there are elements of rupture among them.

MoNGUE project for the sustainable development of Mozambique

The project fits into the context of management of climatic threats and natural disasters in developing countries. It is example Mozambique, seat of deepening of research, where the negative effects of climatic threats are amplified by the low level of resilience of the built environment. For the progress of the country and the development of the territory. The ability of resilience, adaptability and transformability play a fundamental role in the new forecasting processes and project aimed at the improvement of systems of settlements. The article describes the application testing of a methodology of investigation repeatable in similar contexts, time to outline a cognitive basis to trace possible actions for improvement in respect of the identity of the place.

Argumentation in participant-driven photo interviews: A case in ICT for development in Mozambique

Abstract Argumentation is essentially dialogical, hence based on verbal disputation. Nonetheless, other semiotic resources than language may play a substantial role in argumentative circumstances. In this article, different argumentative functions played by photographs are explored, based on an unusual corpus for the field. People working in Mozambican Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) were interviewed, in order to reconstruct the social meaning they confer to such places. To facilitate the exchange of meanings between interviewees and interviewers, who had different cultural and experiential backgrounds, interviewees were requested to take pictures of something they liked, something they didn’t like, and something they perceived as particularly representative of their CMC. Pictures were then presented and commented by participants during their interview. By means of analytical reconstructions, the major argumentative roles played by photographs in the interviews were identified, as well as their semiotic function in respect to interviewees’ words. Argumentative analysis also broadened and enriched the method of photo-driven interviews, and added a further interpretative access to analysis of social representations.

Language policies and the role of development agencies in postcolonial Mozambique

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the interface between language policy and development in Mozambique. Special attention is devoted to the interplay between language and education and to the role of development agencies in language policy and planning activities in Mozambique. I show that there has now been a discourse shift from homogenizing language policies to those that celebrate diversity and difference. However, I argue that in order to achieve effective human development in Mozambique, in addition to Portuguese, African languages should be developed and also legitimately used as media for full participation in all dimensions of development. I also show how some development agencies have been pushing the Government of Mozambique toward inclusive language policy dispensations.

Development of A Study Module on and Pedagogical Approaches to Industrial Environmental Engineering and Sustainability in Mozambique

Addressing the sustainability challenges in the forest sector in Mozambique require capacity building for higher education and training of new skilled expert and future decision-makers. Our approach was to developed a study module on and pedagogical approaches to industrial environmental engineering and sustainability. The idea was to developed a joint module that would eventually become a part of both PhD and MSc programmes in the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) in Mozambique. The basis of our development work encompassed the local priorities as identified by the UEM staff, UEM competencies in forestry engineering and the experience of the Aalto University in higher education in the fields of environmental engineering, sustainability and forest products technology. From the beginning, public authorities and industry/company representatives were involved in the development process to advance the created benefits in terms of sustainable development in Mozambique. The result of the joined work by these two higher education institutions was a study module that has been teached and completed by a class of MSc students as a part of the official UEM curricula.

Gendered Labour, Migratory Labour: Reforming Sugar Regimes in Xinavane, Mozambique

Sugar has played a contentious historical role in the development of Mozambique. Following the country’s 16-year civil conflict, the industry has re-emerged as an important sector for investment and national rebuilding. This article explores how the industry’s narratives of technical efficiency and success in increasing production mask dynamics of agricultural labour in the country’s largest sugar estate at Xinavane, southern Mozambique. Based on archival and ethnographic investigation, the paper interrogates the recent transformation of sugar cane production by South African investment and management. The paper identifies gender- and migration-based labour management practices that are not only consistent with a trend toward labour ‘flexibilisation’ within South African agribusiness practice, but also constitute rules and orders that reiterate Portuguese colonial practice. This analysis undermines current ahistorical narratives of the Açucareira de Xinavane – or Xinavane Sugar Mill – that depict the company as a beneficial exemplar of industrial production and technological advance. It suggests that the search of South African agribusiness for cheap labour north of its borders not only reinforces the low social and material valuing of Mozambican rural life and labour, but also reconstitutes labour relations from the country’s colonial past. This paper argues that these insights are critical to an understanding of the country’s post-conflict reconstruction, and its re-emerging linkages with South African capital.

Civil society in Mozambique: NGOs, religion, politics and witchcraft

Our aim is to problematise the dominant discourses and practices around civil society from a Southern perspective. We first examine critically, from a broadly Gramscian perspective, the way in which the concept of civil society has been deployed in development discourse. This highlights its highly normative and North-centric epistemology and perspectives. We also find it to be highly restrictive in a post-colonial Southern context insofar as it reads out much of the grassroots social interaction, deemed ‘uncivil’ and thus not part of duly recognised civil society. This is followed by a brief overview of some recent debates around civil society in Africa which emphasise the complexity of civil society and turn our attention to some of the broader issues surrounding state-society relations, democracy and representation in a Third World context, exemplified through our case study research in Mozambique, Inhassunge district (Zambézia Province). The privileging of Western-type Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as drivers of democracy and participatory development in Mozambique have considerable implications for current debates around good governance, civil society strengthening and social accountability programmes and strategies.

THE CHALLENGES OF ADULT EDUCATION POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

The current socio-economic development in Mozambique is characterized by growing social inequalities, in particular concerning the imbalanced access to education and the increased poverty of women and the unemployed. Adult education is a way to provide youth and adults with opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills. Through education they can gain power and they can learn how to cope with social and economic challenges. The purpose of this research is to examine how far policies concerning adult education, especially with respect to Non-Formal Vocational Education and Training (NFVET) are implemented. The research is qualitative in nature, based on document analysis with a focus on the policies that have guided the implementation of adult education and training in Mozambique during the period 2000-2015. The findings reveal that Mozambique has been strongly influenced by international initiatives within the framework of ‘Education for all’ and ‘Education for development’. There is an apparent need to strengthen policy implementation strategies, particularly in the area of NFVET in order to ensure the real empowerment of learners and teachers. Key words: adult education, activity theory, power and development.

Imagining Agricultural Development in South–South Cooperation: The Contestation and Transformation of ProSAVANA

This paper discusses South–South cooperation by examining ProSAVANA, a flagship agricultural development program seeking to apply Brazilian experience to Mozambique. ProSAVANA is a joint Japan–Brazil–Mozambique initiative in the savannah zone of Mozambique’s Nacala Corridor region that was initially inspired by the Japan–Brazil PRODECER program in Brazil’s Cerrado region. ProSAVANA subsequently became the focus of fears about land-grabbing in the Nacala Corridor, attracting strong civil society contestation. We show how distinct imaginaries of agricultural development in Mozambique and Brazil were used to mobilize for and against ProSAVANA, thus revealing the contentious nature of the similarity claims underpinning South–South cooperation. In particular, we focus on the role of landscape imaginaries associated with the savannah and the Cerrado. We examine the use in the promotion and contestation of ProSAVANA of visual representations that draw on these imaginaries, including GIS maps of Mozambique’s savannah region made by Brazilian agribusiness consultants and an advocacy video of Brazil’s Cerrado region filmed by Mozambican land rights activists. Noting that the latest ProSAVANA planning documents differ significantly from those expressing its initial vision, we argue that the contestation of ProSAVANA has had a series of productive effects even before the program has moved to full implementation. These productive effects are visible not only in the program itself but also in the wider context of state-society relations shaping debates on South–South cooperation in Mozambique, Brazil, and beyond.