Mozambique

Mozambique experienced the civil war from 1977 to 1992, soon after the independence, and its social and economic development had significantly lagged behind. However, being led by a few mega projects such as aluminum smelting plant project and hydro power plant project, favorable economic growth has been maintained since 2001. Moreover, Mozambique has ports facing Indian Ocean, such as Maputo, Beira and Nacala, which link Southern African countries to other regions like Europe, Middle East and Asia as gateway. In addition to its geographical importance, bountiful mineral resources such as coking coal and natural gas were recently discovered and agriculture sector is also expected to have a potential to be a driving force for regional development. On the other hand, Mozambique is still ranked as one of the most underdeveloped countries and facing many challenges especially in social sector. Under this situation, JICA's support to Mozambique is primarily focused on 1)stimulation of regional and local development (especially corridor development along Nacala and Maputo corridors), 2) human development, and 3) disaster management and climate change