U.S. Embassy Maputo, Mozambique
Relations between the United States and Mozambique are strong and improving, as we increase our bilateral cooperation and assistance on issues ranging from countering violent extremism to pandemic response, in close alignment with the Mozambican government’s development priorities. Mozambique’s independence from Portugal in 1975 was followed by years of civil conflict that concluded in 1992. Historical grievances resurfaced in periodic flare-ups of violence after 1992, but in 2019 the ruling party and main opposition party signed a new peace accord and began to work together to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate former armed combatants into peaceful society. The United States supports the implementation of the peace agreement, which passed a significant milestone in June 2023 with the closure of the last opposition military base. After terrorist attacks began to destabilize northern Mozambique in 2017, the United States provided assistance to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), in addition to working with Mozambican partners to address the drivers of terrorism, even as the security situation has improved in recent years. The United States and Mozambique share a commitment to regional security and stability, economic development, and improved living standards for all Mozambicans.
Mozambique ranks among the least developed countries in the world. The United States is the largest bilateral donor to the country, providing over $560 million in assistance annually. The United States seeks to strengthen democratic institutions, transparency, and inclusive governance in Mozambique, which will in turn improve the country’s investment climate. Healthcare, education, poverty reduction, and job creation remain high priorities, as does food security. In April 2022, President Biden chose Mozambique as a focus country under the Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, which will reinforce government, civil society, and private sector efforts to increase resilience and improve quality of life. U.S. assistance in the health sector and vaccine donations have been instrumental to Mozambique’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United States provides significant health-focused support to Mozambique through programs including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative, and maternal and child health, nutrition, and other interventions. In May 2022, the United States selected Mozambique as a new Global Health Security intensive support partner country, which will bolster Mozambique’s capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to infectious disease threats. U.S. assistance also supports children’s literacy, vocational training, improved water and sanitation, agriculture incomes, climate resilience, disaster response, and counter wildlife trafficking, among many others. Mozambique signed its $500 million second Compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation in September 2023 to improve infrastructure and economic resilience in one of the country’s least developed provinces.
Mozambique offers opportunities for U.S. businesses in a range of sectors, including energy, health, infrastructure, agriculture, information and communications technology (ICT), and transportation. Mozambique’s economy has returned to growth after a downturn in 2020 related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which followed a financial crisis sparked by a $2 billion illegal loan scheme in 2016. A Mozambican watchdog organization estimated the loan scandal resulted in nearly two million Mozambicans falling below the poverty line, in addition to weakening government institutions and worsening Mozambique’s international reputation. In 2021, Mozambique brought 19 defendants to trial in the case. In response to measures to increase public fiscal transparency, the IMF approved a $456 million Extended Credit Facility in May 2022. In 2022, the World Bank resumed direct budget support to Mozambique.
Today the U.S. embassy is in Maputo.
Map Link:
Source:
United States Department of State, Office of the Historian and Bureau of African Affairs.
Social Links:
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