Researcher criticises state centralisation in Mozambique, urges depoliticisation and education investment – Watch

The Observatório do Meio Rural (OMR), a Mozambican non-governmental organisation (NGO), criticised the centralisation of the state, saying it primarily facilitates the entry of foreign capital, and called for depoliticisation and investment in education to develop the country. “This centralist system is not functional; it is functional for the penetration of capital because it does not have to negotiate with all actors, allowing the reproduction of elites, but not serving a sustainable country,” said João Feijó, a researcher at the Observatório do Meio Rural. Feijó spoke as a panellist at the Mozambique–Nordic Countries conference, organised by the Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade (FDC), reminding attendees that the Mozambican state has historically been centralised, noting that there have been “bloody and contested” struggles for its control because it facilitates access to resources.

“When the system is structured this way, it facilitates the reproduction of elites, and also the penetration of the big capital,” Feijó said. He called for state reforms to ensure inclusive development, with communities benefiting from the exploitation of natural resources. “Decentralisation of the country – and we have been repeating this for many years – thinking about the country from the grassroots and not from Maputo, going against our privileges.

Strengthening the state means strengthening institutions. Depoliticisation of the state is one of the great challenges, followed by economic diversification, seeing agriculture as one of the main activities to transition from fishing and informal trade,” Feijó argued. The researcher added that the state should advance fiscal reform, criticising taxes levied on the middle class as high, in a context where extractive companies are taxed less.

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João Feijó urged Mozambique to prioritise the national education and health systems, noting these are key to social well-being. “We always talk about investments in education and health, but we are not truly progressive, because in this room I dare say our children are enrolled in private schools, so we are comfortable with this situation and could actually be progressive because we are close to decision-making centres and fight for a more dignified public school, but we are comfortable with the situation,” he noted. “We could be a force for change, but we are conservative, constantly among ourselves, in an elitist bubble, talking to ourselves and not to 90% of this country,” Feijó concluded. At the same conference, analyst and academic Hélder Jauana called on the state to nationalise natural resources as a strategy to ensure development, noting that the country is “blessed” with gas and fertile land.

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