Mozambique

Iceland’s co-operation with Mozambique dates back to 1995 and in the beginning, the focus was entirely on support to the fisheries sector. The co-operation has widened through the years and ICEIDA is now engaged in three sectors: Fisheries, Social and Health sectors. ICEIDA ’s office in Maputo was opened on 1 June 1999. In 2008 there were five Icelandic staff members working in the ICEIDA office, one Icelandic intern and nine local employees.

From ICEIDA´s Annual Report 2008:

Introduction

Since the Peace Agreement in 1992, Mozambique has enjoyed a remarkable recovery, achieving an average annual rate of economic growth of 8 per cent between 1996 and 2007.  As a result, the poverty headcount index fell by 22% between 1997 and 2003, bringing almost 3 million people out of extreme poverty.

Sustaining this impressive performance requires further investment and reforms to improve the business environment, make the legal and judicial sector more effective, strengthen public financial management and the overall governance framework, and further decentralise and bolster the delivery of key services, especially in rural areas. Reducing the high HIV/AIDS infection rate, currently 16.2 percent, is also critical.

From 1994, the country has held three presidential and parliamentary elections; and three municipal elections, the third of which took place in November 2008. The first election for provincial assemblies is due in 2009. The results from the municipal elections of November 2008 show that the ruling Frelimo Party won in at least 41 of 43 municipalities. This result would mean that Frelimo has managed to wrest at least four municipalities from the opposition Renamo. In the previous municipal elections, held five years ago, Frelimo won 28 out of 33 municipalities. However, because the law stipulates the gradual upgrade of more towns to the level of municipalities, Parliament decided in 2007 to grant municipal status to 10 more towns, bringing the number of municipalities to 43. The only town where Frelimo failed to win, despite serious campaigning, is the central port city of Beira. Parliamentary and presidential elections are also set for 2009. The ruling party has already chosen the current president, Armando Emílio Guebuza, as its candidate for the presidential election. In 2006, the country approved a new electoral law.

In 2008, Mozambican macroeconomic performance was strong. Real GDP grew by an estimated 7.6 percent in the first semester, down from 8.0 percent in 2007. In 2008, Mozambique’s annual GDP growth rate was 6.5%. At current prices, the GDP was US$ 9.8 billion and per capita GDP, based on purchasing-power-parity, was 852 US$ in 2008.

The impact of global warming on Mozambique is one of the major challenges, since the country is still vulnerable to climate change in association with extreme poverty. While still recovering from the devastating floods of 2000-2001 and early 2007, in 2008 Mozambique experienced again a major flood in the centre of the country. These floods were the consequence of high levels of rainfall in Mozambique from late December 2007, compounded by persistent heavy rains in neighbouring countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi).

The political situation in Zimbabwe is another challenge for Mozambique. Zimbabwe has been one of Mozambique's biggest trading partners in Africa, using the Mozambican ports of Beira and Maputo to access sea routes to move goods to and from international markets. The economic turmoil in Zimbabwe could also slow down economic growth in the rest of southern Africa.

Mozambique's economy is expected to grow by 6.5 percent this year. Oil and food prices along with severe drought in parts of the country, as well as the global financial crisis, had weighed on the decision to lower forecasts for 2008. 

 

ICEIDA´s Development Cooperation

Up to September 2008, the operations of the ICEIDA office were according to plan. The volume of ICEIDA activities continued to increase during these months and all projects were running on schedule. Preparations for new projects purposed to start later this year or next year were ongoing. But, due to the financial problems in Iceland, the preparation of those activities was put on hold, and also some of the ongoing projects were slowed down.

There were no changes in the Icelandic staff this year. Four full-time professionals were still working on implementing the projects. But at the end of the year, the project manager for social projects left ICEIDA to continue her studies. One of ICEIDA’s local hired professionals partly took over her duties. 

 

Support to the Health Sector

ICEIDA has been cooperating with the Icelandic Red Cross (IRC) and the Mozambique Red Cross Society (CVM) in the health sector since 2000. A second community based health care project in Maputo Province started in 2005, in the seven communities of Chibucutso in Manhica district. This was a result of discussions between the CVM and the Ministry of Health (MoH) on vulnerable communities within the province. The CVM is responsible for the implementation of the project with technical support from IRC and financial support from IRC and ICEIDA. The projects have three main objectives; to facilitate access to health services, to develop community based health activities with the help of trained volunteers, and to strengthen the local structures of the CVM. The Health Care Centre built in Chibucutso and handed over to MoH in late 2007 has been operating according to plan. Health volunteers and traditional birth attendants in both locations continued to render services to the communities. Construction of latrines and an office for the local committee in Chibucutso were started and the district office in Manhica was finalised. An evaluation of the projects was made in 2008, stating that the main objectives of the projects had been attained. Among the recommendations were increased HIV prevention work, increased number of volunteers, and adding sustainable income generating activities. Some aspects of the management of these integrated projects need to be improved in order to secure sustainability.

ICEIDA also supported a minor rehabilitation of the CVM provincial offices in Matola.

 

Support to the Social Sector

In the framework of the bilateral cooperation between Mozambique and Iceland in the social sector, ICEIDA has provided technical, material and financial support to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare (MMAS) and the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in implementing two social projects.

The MMAS project entitled “MMAS Institutional Capacity Building Project, including Advocacy and the Human Rights of Women’’ began in August 2007 and its conclusion is envisaged for December 2008. However, to allow finalisation of the activities not concluded in 2008, such as consultancies and training in various areas, the project supervision group formed by ICEIDA and MMAS has recommended its extension to May 2009. This is a project with a multi-sector approach, involving the central bodies of the MMAS, namely the National Women’s Directorate (DNM), the Human Resources Directorate (DRH), the Studies and Planning Directorate (DEP) and the National Social Welfare Directorate (DNAS) and the provincial bodies (the Provincial Directorates of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare (DPMAS) in Maputo province, Maputo City, Gaza and Inhambane).

The main objective of the project is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the MMAS in defining policies and strategies that seek to improve planning, supervision, management, attendance and publicising the rights of the social welfare target group, particularly women. One of the relevant activities held under the project (through the DNM) was drawing up the National Plan to Prevent and Combat Violence against Women, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in October. This plan defines the roles and responsibilities of the various governmental and non-governmental actors who intervene in the area of violence, as well as mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the activities undertaken by these actors. With the support of ICEIDA, the DNM began to design and install a database on gender profile in Mozambique. This was a pilot piece of capacity building, which allowed the testing of files and methods for gathering information that will sustain the database.

Continuing the activities of advocacy and the human rights of women begun in 2007, the MMAS, through the Mozambican Association of Women Legal Professionals and the Inhambane and Gaza DPMAS, trained human rights activists, including trainers, district directors and community leaders. Also, in the context of promoting and publicising rights, and the policies and intervention strategies of the Mozambican government in the Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare Sector 1,000 copies of brochures were published, and messages were designed for broadcasting on radio and television.

In the human resources area, a survey was made of the training needs of the MMAS staff, which led to the drafting of a report on MMAS training needs, and the Ministry’s Staff Development Plan for the next ten years, which is still under analysis. Apart from this, in order to improve planning and draw up the Balance Sheet on the Economic and Social Plan, the DEP staff, in partnership with staff from the DNAS and from the National Social Welfare Institute, trained staff from the 11 DPMAS in the country in how to use the guide for drawing up the Balance Sheet on the Economic and Social Plan (PES). This is an important instrument of the Mozambican government that sets out the targets and defines the indicators that make it possible to assess its performance.

With the funds intended for the provinces, the DPMAS defined several priority actions. Gaza province continued to train women’s associations in agricultural processing, and the promotion of children’s rights, and also trained social actors in the area of disability. For its part, Inhambane province undertook supervision in the Inharrime and Jangamo districts in order to set up community committees and to go along with activities of the sector. It held seminars on human rights, as mentioned earlier. Finally, Maputo province prioritised advocacy campaigns on human rights in Marracuene district.

In the context of the partnership with MEC, in March an agreement was signed between ICEIDA and MEC to implement the project “Expanding Adult Education and Life Skills in Jangamo District’’, which is to last for a period of four years (2008-2011). The main objective of this project is to assist the Mozambican Government, through the Jangamo District Education, Youth and Technology Service, and its direct partners (District Health, Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare Service, and District Economic Activities Service) in reducing poverty through literacy and endowing the communities with life skills. The project was formally launched in Jangamo in April, activities commencing in May. Project activities entailed training in literacy and life skills, acquiring various materials, including motorcycles (one for each partner involved in the project), furniture, office, computer and educational material for the District Services for Education office (SDEJT). Monitoring visits were carried out, making it possible to observe aspects in need of improvement, both in regard to the training and the activities, such as drawing up guidelines and manuals accessible to the facilitators of the life skills courses. Several meetings were held, in both Jangamo and Maputo, with the participation of all those involved in project activities, including the teams that form part of the project structure. Under this project, the blueprint for the SDEJT offices was also approved, and visits to exchange experience in the area of life skills took place both within and beyond the province, for example Inhassoro district in Inhambane and Dondo district in Sofala, to learn what is being done in regard to low cost buildings and small businesses. In order to promote interaction, integration and synergies between the various sectors of the government in Jangamo, ICEIDA in Jangamo played a preponderant role in coordinating meetings between governmental and non-governmental partners.

Following the 2006 request to assist and supply some of the primary schools in Maputo city with school furniture and to improve the sanitation at the schools, ICEIDA and Directorate of Education in Maputo wrote a paper called “Upgrading of Primary Schools in Maputo City – A Proposal for Assistance”. By the end of 2008, ICEIDA had assisted eight schools, with a school population of 15,790 pupils. The last two schools assisted in 2008 have a population of 5,772 pupils.  

 

Support to the Fisheries Sector

ICEIDA's co-operation with the Ministry of Fisheries (MoF) in Mozambique dates back to 1995 and has developed in accordance with Mozambique government priorities.

Assistance to the fisheries quality system in Mozambique, the Fish Inspection Institute (INIP), continued in 2008. INIP now operates in seven different communities around the country which handle among others the following: issuing of licenses for fishing vessels, landings and prossessing facilities and aquaculture processing plants, issuing of export and imports certificates and running of five laboratories around the country. The employees are around 100, most of them having considerable education by now and have been trained for various different operations of INIP.

All of the activities ICEIDA has been supporting through agreements and implementing in cooperation with INIP have now been completed. The cooperation between INIP and ICEIDA has been ongoing since 1995.

The two main supporting areas in 2008 were the continued development of a database and preparation for accreditation of the laboratories. An Icelandic expert was hired to review the accreditation documents and it is envisaged that the accreditation will be concluded within 18 months. The pre-application for accreditation may take place in June-July 2009. The final deadline for accreditation established by the EU is 2010. The preparation for accreditation was finished by the end of December 2008 for the Maputo and Beira laboratories, and thereby the project agreement between ICEIDA and the MoF, which came to an end at the same time, had been fulfilled. At the Quelimane laboratory there is still a need for additional work to prepare accreditation. The establishment of a database into which all inspection data is entered has been mostly completed, but there is still a need for more technical support and the purchasing of computer equipment. The development of the database has been improved and a training programme, together with a consultancy, was implemented in Maputo in April 2008. The Fish Inspection Institute (INIP) is now present in the northern provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, with two new laboratories, which were built and technically established in 2007 and completed in 2008. In addition, accommodation for INIP delegates in both places was provided with furniture and equipment. Both were set up with ICEIDA support. The official opening of the new laboratory in Angoche took place in March 2008. In September, the new laboratory in Nacala was officially opened. 

The Fish Research Project at Cahora Bassa – Phase II continued in 2008 and is expected to be concluded in December 2010. The scientific and capacity building components have been implemented successfully. Data collection and analysis have taken place with sound routines established. Two senior officials continued their studies in the Masters and PhD programme on subjects related to the Cahora Bassa reservoir. The procurement and acquisition of equipment (boats and an APNA instruments) have taken place.

The implementation of the “Fish Quality Assurance of Fish Handling and Processing in Mozambique” continued in 2008. The planned activities have now been implemented successfully. Major achievements have been made, including the rehabilitation of the project office, acquisition of equipment, development of educational material, training of teachers and the running of courses for the fishing industry with focus on HACCP quality insurance-techniques and traceability-techniques of small-scale fish production. An external audit took place in November 2008, which recommended options for an extension phase. The final audit report was delivered in December 2008.

A new project, “Institutional Capacity Development for Sustainable Aquaculture”, started in May 2008 and is planned to run until December 2012. The overall performance was positive and major activities that have taken place include a consultancy for the establishment of the basic routines to run the project, activities related to capacity building (attendance at training courses, seminars and BSc programmes on aquaculture) and procurement of literature on aquaculture. However, there were delays in the development of a database, scholarship for MSc studies in Iceland, development of short course and support for the establishment of the Aquaculture Institute (INAQUA).

ICEIDA has been assisting the Ministry of Fisheries by supporting the establishment of an education management unit in the Human Resource Division. The planned activities were successfully implemented in the 2007-2008 period. Major achievements include attendance at a training course on Human Resource Management, a consultancy to identify the education needs within the fisheries sector and acquisition of a vehicle for the Unit. The project came to an end in 2008 and the final report was submitted to ICEIDA at the end of 2008. ICEIDA supported MoF with funding to develop a database for externally funded projects. This activity was approved in October and begun in November 2008. It is envisaged that the database will be ready by March-April 2009. Two new proposals were submitted by the MoF to ICEIDA in 2008, one for supporting INIP in capacity building and finishing the database and the other for supporting IIP in building a research station for fish farming.

 

Gender Mainstreaming

ICEIDA is involved in several projects where gender mainstreaming takes precedence. A new adult literacy project commenced in 2008 where emphasis is be placed upon gender equality, the empowerment of women and reaching out to the poorest groups. Furthermore, improvements have been made to school facilities in Maputo, where the aim is, amongst others, to improve the access of girls to education. ICEIDA supports NGOs with financial contributions, in particular those which work to improve the circumstances of women and their families. ICEIDA has firmly supported the Ministry of Women and Child Development since its foundation in 2000.