Posted on August, 28 2013

Following the launch of Mozambique’s Green Economy Roadmap by His Excellency the President of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza in 2012, the Government of Mozambique is hosting a workshop and capacity building event on the implementation of Mozambique’s Green Growth Action Plan. The workshop, which is held from 28th to 30th August 2013, brings together representatives from various Government institutions, civil society organizations, academia and various diplomatic missions. The events, hosted by MICOA, are supported and facilitated by WWF, the African Development Bank, UNEP, UNDP, the World Bank and the University of Eduardo Mondlane.

Speaking during the opening session of the workshop, the Minister for Coordination of Environmental Affairs representative, Mr. Daude Mahomade, who is the Director for the Environmental Quality Agency, emphasised the importance of the capacity building event for the advancement of the Mozambique Green Economy Roadmap and Action Plan.

“We hope this workshop will allow us to enhance our domain of technical issues for the implementation of our Green Economy Roadmap and explore opportunities to strengthen partnerships to assist in the implementation of this economic model relevant to the sustainable development of our country, of the continent and of the world in general,” said the Minister.

On her part, the WWF Mozambique Country Director, Anabela Rodrigues noted that the workshop provides a good opportunity for all partners involved to work towards sustainable development through Green Economy.

“This is a unique opportunity for the Government of Mozambique to influence all development actors and partners, as well as the private sector, to understand the need for a sustainable development and the role of Natural Capital for the development of the country,” said the Country Director.

The country’s Green Economy Roadmap was launched during a high level event involving the President of the African Development Bank and the Director of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature at the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012. Since then, Mozambique has made significant strides in the establishment of Green Economy policies and strategies.

As such, the launch of the roadmap has been followed by the development of a clear Action Plan for Green Growth, in a process linked to the long-term National Development Strategy (ENDE) 2015-2035, which clearly recognises the fundamental role of the sustainable management of natural resources for economic development to benefit present and future generations.

Mozambique’ Green Economy Roadmap is a vision document that draws broad outlines of the elements of a green growth strategy for Mozambique.

In Mozambique, the majority of economic activities including the livelihoods of the population depend on the natural capital that is available, whether for food supply (agriculture), tourism, mining, energy, timber, fisheries, or otherwise. Recent research assessing the country’s wealth found that both renewable and non renewable natural capital accounted for 49% of total wealth, dominated by subsoil resources (41%), cropland (30%) and timber resources (15%), which is significantly higher than the Sub-Saharan African average of 24% (MICOA & AFD 2009).

In light of the recent announcement of the Primeiras & Segundas Multi-use Conservation Area, the region has been identified as an ideal case study where natural capital mapping could support the development of an integrated management plan. The exercise is intended to inform the planning process by providing an accurate understanding of the costs and benefits (be it in biophysical terms, economic opportunities, or social indicators such as jobs, livelihoods, security etc.) of different economic and policy scenarios with regards to the management of the rich natural resources of the region.

By Alvo Ofumane and John Kabubu