The vice-president of Mozambique’s Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), Prakash Prehlad, said on Wednesday (29) that the wave of kidnappings that has once again plagued the country’s capital is constraining investment and leading businesspeople to leave.
Speaking during an official event in Pemba, Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, the official said: “There is no doubt that the environment of kidnappings is worrying us, it is something that is holding back investment, because the investor wants a favorable climate”.
Although he didn’t give any figures, Prehlad admitted that the fear is leading businesspeople to leave the country, putting the economy at risk. “We have several businesspeople outside Mozambique who are waiting for better days,” he added.
For the businessman, the police authorities must redefine strategies to stop this wave of kidnappings: “We have to reverse this situation, which means that our police (and the Ministry of the Interior) must reposition themselves, bringing in techniques to turn this page once and for all.”
For some weeks now, Maputo has been experiencing a new wave of kidnappings, especially of businesspeople, with two Portuguese-Mozambicans having been targeted in the last month, and suspicions of the involvement of agents linked to police investigations in this type of crime.
Yesterday, Wednesday, the President of the Republic acknowledged the need to strengthen the competence of the Mozambican police, since citizens must be able to go about their business in “total security”, without fear of kidnapping or abduction.
“We want citizens to be able to carry out their productive activities in total security and for investors to feel safe to unleash their entrepreneurial initiative without fearing the risk of robberies, kidnappings or loss of their property,” said Filipe Nyusi, after presiding over the opening of the Coordinating Council of the Ministry of the Interior, in Maputo.
