The government intends to grant administrative autonomy to the Namacurra Rice Leadership and Research Centre, located in Zambézia Province, with the aim of increasing its responsiveness and boosting agricultural research, which is considered strategic for achieving the country’s food sovereignty.
The intention was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Albino, after noting that the institution lacks its own mechanisms to manage resources and carry out, in a timely manner, the activities required to develop its research programmes.
Speaking at the end of a visit to the centre, conducted as part of a two-day working trip to Zambézia, Roberto Albino explained that administrative autonomy would allow the institution to have its own budget, set priorities and implement its work plan more efficiently.
“There is an administrative challenge that I need to resolve, in coordination with my colleagues at the Ministry of Finance, which is to grant this centre a degree of administrative autonomy so that it can have its own budget and implement its work programme,” he said.
According to the minister, the procedures currently in place require the centre to submit requests to the Mozambique Agricultural Research Institute to meet its operational needs, a process that can delay the execution of scientific activities. For this reason, he argued that the institution needs greater management and decision-making capacity.
Roberto Albino explained that research requires rapid responses and real-time decision-making, conditions that, in his view, can only be ensured through greater institutional autonomy. He added that he left the visit feeling “highly encouraged” by what he observed at the institution.
The minister highlighted the presence of a team of 13 experienced and highly qualified researchers and also expressed satisfaction with the equipment already available at the centre, some of which is awaiting installation. He noted that these resources will strengthen the country’s research capacity in rice production.
“I found the scientific foundation we needed to launch this drive towards our country’s food sovereignty,” he said.
Roberto Albino also revealed that the government is working with development partners to mobilise resources for the institution’s operations and hopes that it will play a more significant role in the 2026–27 agricultural season.
Source: Agência de Informação de Moçambique (AIM)
