The Foundation for Community Development (FDC), a Mozambican NGO led by Graça Machel, called on Tuesday (May 5) for stronger state intervention in the formalisation of women-led businesses, noting that the informal sector remains the main space for female economic activity in the country, according to Lusa.
The position was presented in Maputo during the submission of FDC contributions to the Technical Commission for National Dialogue (COTE), as part of ongoing political reforms. The social activist and former Mozambican education minister—also the widow of the country’s first president, Samora Machel—said the lack of clear and binding mechanisms is limiting women’s effective integration into the formal economy.
“If you want to understand women’s economic rights, you have to look at the Family Law, you have to look at certain economic sectors. But we feel there is a need for a longer, more careful effort to consolidate and clarify women’s economic rights across different sectors and levels,” she said.
She advocated for specific regulation that not only defines women’s economic rights but also establishes binding obligations for both public and private institutions. Among the proposed measures is the requirement to collect and publish gender-disaggregated data, ensuring accountability in promoting women’s participation as consumers, managers, consultants, and entrepreneurs.
“The Constitution does speak about equality between men and women, but in the regulation and implementation of constitutional and legal provisions, there is no obligation that ensures all institutions fulfil their role,” she noted.
Machel also stressed that formalising women’s businesses requires targeted incentives and public policies, including support for associations and cooperatives that can strengthen the collective economic activities of millions of households.
“Only a woman in agribusiness knows the obstacles she has to overcome; only a woman in the energy sector or financial sector understands them,” she said, calling for stronger women’s networks to help enforce laws and advance their rights.
For the FDC, women’s central role in the economy is essential for inclusive and sustainable growth. Machel warned that progress in civil rights remains incomplete without guaranteeing women’s economic and financial autonomy.
Source: Diário Económico
