Mozambique: CTA warns 240 companies closed temporarily in Gaza due to floods

Around 240 companies have temporarily closed in Mozambique’s southern province of Gaza due to floods that have occurred since the start of the year, affecting more than 3,000 workers, according to business estimates. A source from the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) told Lusa on Friday that the number of affected companies could rise, as assessments of losses continue in the districts impacted by the floods. “An average of 240 companies have temporarily closed, according to the latest update we have, and regarding the number of unemployed, more than 3,000 were registered, with 24% permanent and the rest seasonal,” the source said.

According to the business organisation, the damage spans different economic sectors, including agriculture, small businesses, and self-employed workers, with impacts still difficult to quantify due to agricultural areas that remain flooded. The impact of the floods on agricultural production remains uncertain, as the province continues its rainy season and faces a new wave of flooding in cultivated fields across several districts, the source added. The number of deaths during the current rainy season in Mozambique has reached 309, with 1.06 million people affected since October, according to the National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD) update on 31 March.

Floods in January alone caused at least 43 deaths, 147 injuries, and nine missing persons, affecting a total of 715,803 people, while some areas in the south have experienced a new wave of flooding in recent days. The passage of Cyclone Gezani in Inhambane on 13–14 February caused four additional deaths and affected 9,040 people, according to INGD data. In total, 24,229 homes were partially destroyed, 11,996 completely destroyed, and 209,219 flooded during the current rainy season so far.

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A total of 304 health units, 109 places of worship, and 764 schools have been affected in less than six months. INGD data also indicate that 316,267 hectares of agricultural land were lost, affecting 371,320 farmers, and 531,116 animals died, including cattle, goats, and poultry. During this rainy season, 9,522 kilometres of roads, 51 bridges, and 237 aqueducts were also affected.

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