The World Bank’s vice-president for Eastern and Southern Africa said that the programme in Mozambique is adjustable and has managed to develop projects despite the post-election violence, but warned that they could slow down if the situation worsens.
“The World Bank is an apolitical organisation. As long as we can do our work safely, reducing risks, ensuring transparency and inclusivity, we continue our work; it’s unfortunate what’s going on, and we hope for a peaceful resolution and also that things in the north don’t get worse,” Victoria Kwakwa said in an interview with Lusa.
Asked whether the atmosphere of violence could jeopardise the World Bank’s projects in Mozambique, the World Bank’s vice-president for East and Southern Africa replied: “We have the flexibility to adjust our work, but we haven’t made any adjustments yet, because we are managing to implement the operations.”
“We’ll have to slow down if that’s the case, which hasn’t happened yet. We’re monitoring the situation closely, and we’ll be discussing the future of the portfolio and our involvement in the country with the new government,” she said.
The World Bank has more than 40 projects in operation in the country, worth more than $7 billion (more than €6.6 billion), under its partnership with the country. These projects are centred on the pillars of sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth and strengthening human capital, namely in the areas of education, health, and social protection.
Asked whether the World Bank could finance the natural gas megaprojects in the north of the country, Victoria Kwakwa replied that since 2019, oil and gas have been outside the portfolio of projects that the Bank can finance, except in exceptional cases where there is no alternative source of revenue for the state.
“Mozambique, like Angola, has a lot of natural wealth, particularly in the area of renewable energies, especially wind power, so financing oil and gas projects in these countries is out of the question,” he said.

At least 67 people have died, and another 210 have been shot in the space of a month during demonstrations to contest the results of the general elections on 9 October in Mozambique, according to an update from Mozambican NGO Plataforma Eleitoral Decide.
According to the survey released on Saturday by Human Rights Watch, at least 1,326 arrests followed the protests from 21 October to 21 November. However, this case is still pending an update from the Mozambican Bar Association, which has been providing legal support in these cases.
Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane has called for these demonstrations, which have degenerated into clashes with the police – who have resorted to firing tear gas and shots to disperse them – contesting the awarding of a victory to Daniel Chapo, the candidate supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power), with 70.67% of the vote, according to the results announced on 24 October by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), which have yet to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council.
Lusa