FOOD SECURITY SITUATION AND CHALLENGES UNDER THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE

Isabelle Tsakok

No 2645, Policy briefs on Economic Trends and Policies from Policy Center for the New South

Abstract: Mozambique’s extractive-industry development model is a textbook case of how enormous FDI funds derived from its rich mineral base have not been leveraged to promote inclusive economic growth and generate food security for all. It is a textbook case of the resource curse. Instead, only a few have benefitted, leaving the poor and vulnerable, who constitute the vast majority, to struggle unassisted. These include smallholders in subsistence-oriented agriculture and the rural sector, and a highly underemployed labor that toils in the predominantly informal market. Their exclusion from public investment for decades, together with the recurrent violent insurgence, particularly in mineral-rich Cabo Delgado, fuels widespread discontent and distrust of government. The way forward is to leverage Mozambique’s vast mineral wealth for the benefit of the majority, who are struggling against chronic poverty, hunger, and lack of opportunities. Doing so will require an end to business as usual (BAU). Such BAU is characterized by persistent institutional problems, including widespread corruption; complex and time-consuming regulations and constrained credit which undermine the non-mineral private sector; sharp regional and rural-urban disparities; inefficient and inequitable land use; and widespread land tenure insecurity among smallholders, in particular. The recommendation echoes the theme of the Mo Ibrahim Forum (2025): focus first and foremost on governance, the rule of law, and security to advance the goal of “Financing the Africa We Want.”

Date: 2026-10
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