The Confederação das Associações Económicas de Moçambique (CTA) launched on Thursday, March 5, the “Connecting Skills” project, aimed at creating jobs by supporting small business cooperatives, which remain weakly integrated into formal value chains.
According to CTA president Álvaro Massingue, the initiative stems from a “clear diagnosis of the national market”, where the private sector concluded that economic growth in Mozambique has not generated sufficient and decent employment. He noted that more than 90% of the active population works in the informal economy, which results in low productivity, limited access to credit, weak social protection and reduced integration into formal value chains.
Speaking at a seminar promoting cooperativism in Maputo, Massingue said the project aligns with the goal of decent work and economic growth, bringing together public policies, institutions and entrepreneurs within a broader local development ecosystem.
Supported by Italian sector institutions, the programme aims to increase economic productivity, expand the number of formal businesses and create more sustainable jobs, while strengthening the participation of women and young people in the formal economy.
The pilot phase will be implemented in the southern province of Inhambane Province and will focus on formalising and strengthening micro and small enterprises. Plans include building a Business House (Casa do Empresário) and an events space to support business associations.
The project will also establish a formalisation and technical assistance desk, provide business and technical training in sectors such as agro-processing, the blue economy and trade, and support the creation of a microcredit fund focused on women’s entrepreneurship.
According to private sector data, Mozambique currently has 512 cooperatives linked to the Associação Moçambicana para a Promoção do Cooperativismo em Moçambique (AMPCM), representing more than one million members, 56% of whom are women. The province of Nampula Province leads with 220 cooperatives, spanning sectors such as agriculture, publishing, education, transport and technology.
Source: Diário Económico
