mozambique
...Economy At the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique’s economy was one of the poorest in the entire world. The last ten years has brought some light to the end of the tunnel. This is evident in the last decade of reports of per capita GDP. In 2000, Mozambique’s GDP was $222 million, a considerable improvement from the mid 1980’s when it was around $120 million. Mozambique’s foreign debt in 2002 was $966 million. Years of warfare and attempts made to rebuild the economy’s infrastructure; many countries have eliminated the money owned to them by Mozambique. Recently, Brazil relieved Mozambique’s it’s foreign debt of $332 million dollars. Brazil hopes that other countries will follow their lead in relieving the debt owed by southern African nations. President of Brazil Lula da Silva in a press conference said “I think this could serve as an example for other countries similar in size to Brazil to make a like gesture to the poor countries of the world that often have an essentially unplayable debt.” With an average growth rate of 6.7% from 1993 to 1999, and 10% from 1997 to 1999, Mozambique’s economy is slowly improving. A turn in the growth rate was evident in 2000, due to a massive flood that devastated the agriculture sector of Mozambique, which makes up of 75% of the work force. In 2003, the growth rate fell to 7% and is planned to fluctuate between from 7%-10% in the next five years. With a more positive outlook on Mozambique’s economy many refugees have decided to move to their areas of origin and search for work. Economic reform has led 1,2000 state-operated small enterprises to be privatized. Continuous privatization of telecommunications, electrical companies, ports, and railroads are currently underway. Imports into Mozambique are noted as being 40% higher than exports. 2003 saw imports reaching as high as 1.24 billion, with exports only hitting $910 million. Foreign investments that are being initiated should increase the growth of exports. The majority of Mozambican exports are cashews, shrimp, fish, copra, sugar, cotton, tea, citrus fruits, potatoes, sunflowers, beef, and poultry. Mozambique exports 26% of it goods to Belgium, 14.4% to South Africa, 9.6% to Italy, 9.5% to Spain, 8.3% to Germany, and 4.7% to Zimbabwe. Education Education is essential in any country and especially important in an underdeveloped country to prosper socially and economically. Currently in Mozambique illiteracy plagues the country with an ever-growing rate. 64% of men and 33% of women are unable to read. After gaining independence in 1975, Mozambique’s government installed various literacy programs to promote literacy throughout the country. Volunteers and children who taught at reading centers throughout the country solely operated these programs. Because of these programs and learning centers, 500,000 Mozambicans became literate. In 1976, the Ministry of Education created the national directorate for literacy and adult education. Later in 1978, the first national company of literacy was launched. Also, this year saw an increase in the number of schools built. Education is vital for ensuring the people of Mozambique better health and to prevent the spreading of HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has affected Mozambique’s supply of education. Since 1999, over 400,000 Mozambicans have died of AIDS, with the total death toll expected to reach over 1.2 million by 2010. If no effective measures are implemented, the death toll from AIDS is expected to kill 97,000 people. It is estimated by the Institute for International Cooperation and Development that from 2000-2010, that 9,200 will die from causes relating to HIV/AIDS. Also, 123 senior managers, planners, and administrators will die from the epidemic leaving many schools and learning centers without teachers. In 2002, Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) gave Mozambique and Tanzania $10 million a year for the next five years. By Canada contributing money this will help promote universal access to education, the improving of basic education, decreasing gender inequality, and teacher training. All in all, Mozambique will receive a total of $17 million in aid from Canada, while Tanzania will receive $14.7 million in aide. Health Care HIV/AIDS is not the only disease affecting Mozambicans. Malaria, diarrhea, and various respiratory infections add to the burden Mozambicans face. The problem is growing at an alarming rate due to the lace of access to hospitals in underdeveloped regions. The government of Mozambique has recently expanded its health service to more rural areas. The government is responsible for providing care and overseeing the National Health System in four key areas: 1) health posts and health centers 2) rural and general hospitals 3) provincial hospitals 4) central and specialized hospitals. Environmental conditions and limited access to clean water all contribute to high rates of mortality. The current amount of funding being spent to battle these diseases is noted as being significantly below the standard. Coinciding with this problem is the inconsistency of treatment from rural to urban health centers. Cost and fees differentiate from area to area. One health center might charge differently than another for medicine or treatment. Payment for treatment is up-front; this leads many to be denied treatment because there is no set fee. Medicine is heavily subsidized and is charged by individual dosage. Lack of supplies affect the quality of treatment Mozambicans face when searching for treatment. Women in Mozambique would often have to provide their own medical supplies when giving birth. Such supplies are quite expensive, and family members in some cases have had to sell of animals or produce to pay for health services. In relation to health care, the security of Mozambique and crime is another important issue facing Mozambique. Security Mozambique’s transition from a one-party socialist system to a multi-party democracy has led to an increase in crime. Street crimes have increased in the last year resulting in muggings and pick-pocketing. Foreigners visiting Mozambique are often attacked and robbed at gunpoint for their valuables. Attempts by the government to quell violent outbreaks have been minimal due to Mozambique’s poorly paid police force. Police offers lack equipment and training needed to protect its citizens and visitors. Lack of resources allocated from the government to the police force has been rare, resulting in high levels of drug-trafficking and international drug smuggling Weak government infrastructure created many to account for their personal safety. With a weak criminal justice system that is considered fragile and underdeveloped, offenders continue to commit crimes without the fear of punishment. Considerable attempts must be made by those in charge to increase the validity of the judicial system to punish those who commit crimes. In November of 2000, journalist Carlos Cardoso was shot on a street in Maputo. Carlos Cardoso was well known for his critique of corrupt politicians and police. Almost nothing was done by police and judges to find those committed the crime. After the murder of Cardoso, many other journalist who wrote about corruption received death threats on their lives. Roles of Women Women have played an important part throughout the history of Mozambique. Civil war in Mozambique required the men to leave their homes and travel to town or move to urban areas to take refuge. Women were left behind to fend for themselves and provide for their family. A strong sense of self-reliance led many women to improve their situation and get more involved in the community. Politically, administrative power was dominated by males, leaving women to adapt to more traditional roles in society. Central state officials have been involving women more in politics, and in 1999, 29.4% of the members in parliament were women. This is remarkable because they had more women in parliament in Mozambique than anywhere in the world. Some argue that this figure will decrease as some female politicians may not contest their seats. At an International Conference on Gender and Good Governance in Harare, Zimbabwe on 18 - 20 May 1998, delegates spoke of the lack of support from family members to encourage women to continue to pursue their political career. The Deputy National Director of Social Action, Josefa Langa, believes the Mozambican government is trying to get women to occupy 50% of the positions of deputies at the cabinet level, 30% at the local authority level and 40% in government agencies. This is part of the government's plan to promote women's participation in policy-making at various governmental levels. Women in urban arenas are mostly self-employed making up about 51.8% of the work force. Marginalized by the government and international organizations, women are vibrant contributors to an informal economy overlooked by national policies. For the most part though, women in southern African countries are still invisible in the key decision sectors of academic institutions, judiciary, financial institutions, and governing bodies. International Organizations Mozambique belongs to many international organizations throughout the world. They are a part of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM), Organization of African Unity, the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. The Organization of the Islamic Conference in 1994 welcomed Mozambique to join the Commonwealth. Later in the same year Mozambique created the Co...