- More than half (54%) of Mozambicans say China’s economic activities have “some” or “a lot” of influence on their country’s economy.
- Mozambicans are more welcoming than critical in their perceptions of the economic and political influence of China, the United States, Japan, and the EU, with China and the United States garnering the most positive assessments (55% and 47%, respectively). o But favourable views of U.S. and Chinese economic and political influence have declined by 17 and 13 percentage points, respectively, since 2021.
- Only one-quarter (25%) of citizens are aware that Japan gives loans or development assistance to their country.
Mozambique is saddled with a myriad of challenges, many of which have attracted global attention and mobilised assistance from the international community (Columbo, 2022).
Aligning with the Mozambican government’s development priorities, U.S. assistance to the country has amounted to more than $560 million annually, targeted at improving democratic institutions, enhancing inclusive governance and transparency, and promoting human development in the areas of health care, education, poverty reduction, and job creation (U.S. Department of State, 2023).
With direct investment of more than U.S. $700 million in 166 projects generating more than 19,000 jobs between 2017 and 2022, China ranks in the top 10 of Mozambique’s foreign investors (Centre for China Studies, 2023). In 2022, trade between the two countries totaled U.S. $4.6 billion, an increase of 16% compared to the previous year (Club of Mozambique, 2023).
Japan’s development cooperation with Mozambique spans more than 20 years, with a focus on projects in the infrastructure, agribusiness, and mineral-resources sectors that have seen the country plough investments of U.S. $1.6 billion into Mozambique (360 Mozambique, 2023). In recent years, this support has expanded into other priority areas, such as human development, regional economic revitalisation, natural-disaster prevention, and climate change mitigation (FurtherAfrica, 2023).
Similarly, the European Union (EU) has invested more than €400 million in security, development, good governance, the green transition, youth development, and other sectors in Mozambique (360 Mozambique, 2024). In 2020, the EU and its member states raised around €195 million to help curb the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 in education, health, and development and to combat misinformation and disinformation about the virus (Delegation of the European Union to Mozambique, 2021).
How do Mozambicans see the influence of global powers on their country?
The latest Afrobarometer survey, conducted in late 2022, shows that a majority of Mozambicans believe that China’s economic activities have a significant impact on their economy, and perceptions of China’s economic and political influence are largely positive – although less so than a year earlier. Assessments of the influence of the United States, Japan, and the EU are also largely favourable, though positive assessments of U.S. influence have also seen a decline.
Survey findings show that Japan is not a well-known development partner in Mozambique: Only one-quarter of citizens are aware that Mozambique gets loans or development assistance from Japan.
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