Good afternoon. Mozambicans have been in a ferment over this week’s visit by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It is very unusual for a politician of Lula’s importance to visit the country, even if the visit is explained by the historic ties of trade and cooperation between Mozambique and Brazil, and by Lula’s interest in Africa (and, cynics might say, his support for undemocratic regimes).
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Lula spoke with apparent warmth and conviction about collaboration between Mozambique and how, after a period when it had stopped, it should now restart. He mentioned various sectors of the economy and highlighted healthcare and education. That will be music to the ears of the Mozambican government, whose healthcare and education sectors rely very heavily on foreign aid. Healthcare provision in particular has suffered considerably since the withdrawal of the US Agency for International Development.
