Moza Banco, in partnership with the Dom Cabral Foundation (FDC), hosted a high-level debate on the challenges of the world economy and their impact on Mozambique for the second year running. The event, which brought together international experts, focussed on crucial themes such as biodiversity and sustainability, reflecting the growing importance of these issues on today’s global agenda.
Marcos Troyjo, an academic from Oxford University, started the discussions remotely by addressing the challenges of the world economy in 2024 and the new opportunities for emerging economies, with a special emphasis on the role of Africa. The academic emphasised that we are living in an era of “polycrisis”, a concept that, according to him, was “developed by European economic historian Adam Tooze, which describes the convergence of multiple interconnected crises affecting the world simultaneously”. Among the crises mentioned by the expert are the covid-19 pandemic, which has exposed the fragilities of the global health system, stagflation characterised by low economic growth and high inflation and the recession of globalisation, evidenced by the political-military crisis in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East.
“Mozambique and the countries of sub-Saharan Africa must be ready to respond to the needs of the world, exploiting their vast potential for the benefit of their own economies,” said Marcos Troyjo. The academic then highlighted three crucial trends for the coming years: the increase in the world’s population, the contribution of emerging economies to global growth and the new era of talent. “In 25 years’ time, the world’s population will have grown to 10 billion,” he noted, emphasising that most of this growth will take place in emerging countries, including several African nations. Marcos Troyjo also pointed out the need to adapt to new economic realities, suggesting that Mozambique could benefit from global reindustrialisation. “In Brazil, there has been a technological revolution in the agricultural field, and we can form partnerships to expand food production, strengthening relations with Mozambique,” he concluded.
Intertwining with Marcos Troyjo’s ideas, environmentalist Carlos Serra presented a detailed overview of “Environmental Sustainability as a Pillar of Economic Resilience: Challenges and Opportunities for Mozambique”. Serra emphasised that “there can be no development without observing the basic precepts of sustainability”, highlighting the need for ecological awareness in order to develop policies that balance economic growth and the protection of biodiversity. The environmentalist recounted a recent experience in which an individual, on seeing volunteers cleaning up a beach, commented that “they’re going to clean it up”, revealing a common attitude of lack of responsibility. “We’re not cleaning up, we’re educating,” emphasised Carlos Serra, explaining that beach clean-ups and tree planting are means of raising environmental awareness.
Carlos Serra also addressed Mozambique’s vulnerability to climate change, emphasising the importance of restoring coastal and mangrove ecosystems to increase the country’s climate resilience. “The restoration and protection of these ecosystems is essential,” he said, referring to natural disasters such as Cyclone Idai, which highlight the urgency of these measures. The environmental expert also highlighted the low level of environmental awareness in the country, both among the population with little schooling and among the educated population. “We need a national environmental education programme to train trained managers and technicians,” he said, emphasising the great potential of Mozambican youth, who are increasingly aware of environmental issues.
During the event, the chairman of the board of directors of Moza Banco, João Figueiredo, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to environmental protection, highlighting concrete actions to minimise the impact of climate change. The chairman of Moza Banco’s Executive Committee, Manuel Soares, celebrated the bank’s 16th anniversary and valued the commitment of its employees to its continued success. The meeting was also attended by the Brazilian ambassador, Ademar Seabra Júnior, and the representative of the Dom Cabral Foundation, Viviane Barreto.
At the end, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Moza Banco and the Dom Cabral Foundation for the implementation of the “Pra Frente” educational programme, which aims to train small and medium-sized national companies in entrepreneurship and management, promoting sustainable and economic development in Mozambique.
