Mozambique’s future has never looked brighter, writes Paul Richardson SUNDAY TIMES - 19 June 2005
— Extract from The Struggle for Mozambique by Eduardo Mondlane
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THOSE old enough to remember Independence Day in Mozambique 30 years ago recall it in intimate detail. People living in and around Maputo gathered at the local stadium to witness Samora Machel deliver his first speech as the newly independent country’s first president.
Some of them talk today of walking barefoot for 30 or 40 kilometres from the countryside to celebrate an end to the 11-year war of liberation. But their relief was to prove short-lived.
The civil war that erupted soon afterwards was catastrophic, resulting in more than one million deaths and spawning at least three million refugees. It left the economy in ruins.
Only now, 13 years after the official end to its second war, does Mozambique have real reason to celebrate.
Its war-shattered economy has re-emerged to achieve growth rates that rank it with the Asian tigers of the 1990s.
Some 2500km of undeveloped, scenic coastline hint at a tourism boom that is only just getting off the ground. The white, sandy beaches are the fringe of untold riches that the fertile soils of the hinterland might hold in store. Key crops such as sugar, cotton and cashews are again becoming major exports.
Mega projects like the Sasol gas pipeline in eastern Mozambique, the Moma titanium mineral sands project in the north and the Mozal aluminium smelter in the south have sent strong signals that Mozambique is open for business. Brazilian mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce has taken the bait and is conducting a pre-feasibility study for a coal mine in the west that could result in a $1-billion investment.
Politically, the consensus is that the situation is stable — a watchword that usually tops investors’ checklists.
President Armando Guebuza has been installed as the country’s third president after a relatively smooth election in December last year.
The government has made, and continues to make, progress in reducing poverty. It is reforming its legal system and making an effort to reduce its notorious bureaucracy, which can be a hindrance to business.
This is not to say the country does not still face huge problems. The poor state of infrastructure is a key obstacle to Mozambique’s development. Roads outside the major cities are poor, electricity supply — even in major cities like Maputo — can be erratic, and potable water is still difficult to find in many areas.
The country faces its biggest challenge from HIV/Aids. The virus has already infected 15% of the population, and some 500 people are infected every day. The consequences for the economy will be devastating unless more is done to halt the spread of the disease.
Thanks to the progress Mozambique has made in rebuilding its social, political and economic institutions since the end of the civil war in 1992, however, the government is in a far better position to deal with these and other problems it faces.
All in all, the country has more than enough reason for its 30th birthday to be a happy one.
* Message sent from the central committee of the Frelimo party to the people of Mozambique on September 25 1967, to mark the third anniversary of the war against the Portuguese colonisers.
