Mozambique Economy: The Legacy of President Joaquim Chissano

Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique, talks about the economy, saying he is very optimistic for the future.

“I’m very much an optimist in the way I look at things. You can’t say that since I left power, everything has regressed quite so much. Just look at the companies. Of course, I had made contact and held talks with some of them. But the companies that came here to invest in large projects did so after I had left. I’m speaking about American companies, such as Anadarko, the Italian company ENI, or the Brazilian company Vale. Vale was already here when I left, but they kept going and many more companies are coming, from India and many other places. Over the past ten years, some construction has taken place, along with improvements in electricity. There were undoubtedly problems. People talked about them, but the economy continued to develop, partners continued to arrive and even contributed directly to the national budget, which is something that has continued”, says Joaquim Chissano.

“We should therefore not misread isolated problems that arise; and I even believe the leader of the opposition began to move out of Maputo during my term, preferring somewhere else for personal reasons. I don’t see the relationship between my leaving power and Dhlakama’s place of residence. I believe Dhlakama is looking for the best strategies that work for him, and living away from Maputo allows him to escape some of its pressures, given that the capital does have a lot of pressures: not only the people and the Government, but the diplomatic corps and people with different opinions. But in the provinces, in the bush, he doesn’t need to listen to all of this, which could be among his strategies, although I can’t speak on his behalf. Also, from a distance, or somewhere referred to as an ‘unknown’ location, he is able to put more pressure on the Government, in order for the Government to come closer to his views than when he is here, because he can speak with a loud voice and frighten the Government, but above all frighten citizens. When the people are frightened, this puts pressure on the Government, so these are his own tactics, in order to get his way”, he adds.