Mozambique, a country in Southeast Africa with a coast on the Indian Ocean, is bordered by Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. Mozambique existed for almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony until independence in 1975. It is divided into ten provinces and one city with provincial status, Maputo, which is the capital. Portuguese is the official language of Mozambique. The currency of Mozambique is the metical (MZN).
Large-scale emigration, a severe drought, and political instability hindered the country's development until the mid-1990s. Monetary reforms have reduced inflation. Fiscal reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax (VAT) and reform of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign assistance for more than half of its annual budget, and the majority of the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's work force. A substantial trade imbalance persists, although the opening of the Mozal aluminium smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project to date, has increased export earnings, and the not so recent discovery of oil and gas in the country has brought much foreign investment into the country.
Mozambique's efforts to reduce the substantial foreign debt levels have seen a severe setback with the recent discovery of large undisclosed commercial foreign debt that has dragged the country's public debt to an unsustainable path.
Mozambique grew at an average annual rate of 9% for most of the past decade, one of Africa's strongest performances. However, heavy reliance on aluminium, which accounts for about one-third of exports, subjects the economy to volatile international prices. The sharp decline in aluminium prices during the global economic crisis and the hidden debt scandal lowered gross domestic product (GDP) growth by several percentage points. Nonetheless, the future outlook for Mozambique seems very promising with the oil and gas projects being on the verge of entering into development stage.
PwC has an extensive network of offices in most countries on the African continent. PwC Mozambique offers a range of tax, legal, audit, advisory, and consulting services. Our professionals support clients with local knowledge and skills and with access to a broad range of other professionals across the PwC global network of firms.
