World
Mozambique Urged to Address Systemic Governance Deficit, Others
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has to make consistent efforts toward addressing the systemic governance deficit, deepening political discontent, and widening socio-economic disparity is the surest possible way to maintain a long-term peaceful environment in Mozambique.
That was the message, at least, emerging from discussions via a videoconference held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) of the United States.
Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the African Union (AU) and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, among other high-ranking speakers and experts expressed the fact that Mozambique has to mobilize its own resources and then to be supported by member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Tetteh further suggested that the Mozambican government has to understand the primary internal challenges and analyze the roots causes of rising armed attacks in the country, and with the possibility of spreading to other parts within southern Africa.
The United Nations (UN) Special Representative to the African Union explained that the insurgency situation in Mozambique is not advanced enough to justify international military intervention or peacekeeping operations.
She argues that “there is still the opportunity to be able to use political processes to try and get people to come back from the brink and to address some of the root causes of the conflicts. And I think that in Mozambique, for instance, as a case in point is one of the situations where we’re talking about counterterrorism as opposed to a peacekeeping engagement activity.”
The support has to be given at the level of bringing “the political tools to bear to try and create solutions within those regions and deal with some of the governance deficits that they have – lack of service provision, challenges with inequality – and, of course, at the same time, to provide a humanitarian response.” she emphasized.
According to the UN official, the various organizations have to converge tools and structures, through collaboration, in order to “be more proactive on the prevention as opposed to having to spend money on the peacekeeping.”
According to several reports, the armed violence in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, has been going on for the past three and a half years but gained a new dimension on March 24 when armed groups first attacked the village of Palma, which is about six kilometres from the multi-million dollar natural gas projects.
It has had devastating effects – displacement of approximately 700,000 people, created worsening a humanitarian crisis. Many business in the region have badly been affected – Agostinho Vuma, the President of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), estimated a huge loss of $209 million (€174.4 million) and the closure of 1,110 companies.
“The other 750 companies suffered indirect impacts due to their exposure in the various value chains, whose flow (of activity) was interrupted following the recent attack on Palma district,” the CTA president said.
In addition, he said that $100 million (€83.4 million) corresponded to losses in agricultural production, $95 million (€79.2 million) in physical capital and $14 million (€11.7 million) in cash flow in the various value chains.
While deploring kidnappings of business people and their relatives – another crime that is already hindering investment and gives an image of an unstable Mozambique, Vuma mentioned ways to promote the sustainability of the business sector linked to natural gas megaprojects in Cabo Delgado.
According to the latest report on the Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, released April 15 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, Mozambique needs to address, as swiftly as possible, all kinds of internal conflicts, warning further that the conflicts have serious negative influences on the evolution of the country’s economy.
“What is going on in Cabo Delgado, in Palma, is just horrendous, all the more so because this latent insurgency has been identified as a threat several for many years,” Abebe Aemro Selassie said at a press conference, presenting the Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa report in Washington.
That, however, International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Mozambique to recover after establishing a peaceful environment, put under control the internal conflicts and begins to make economic growth from the current rate of 2.8 per cent, but the economic growth rate predicted to increase to 4.7% in 2022.
Experts, both inside Mozambique and inside Africa have raised concerns about rising conflicts and their negative impact on development. Many African countries, Mozambique among them, have achieved little with their development efforts simply due to multiple reasons including ineffective policies, poor monitoring and evaluation, and worse, due to deep-seated corruption.
One alternative path has to start from prioritizing job creation spheres and welfare of the population, and the establishment of new industrial sectors, to greater energy access, improved energy security and long-term economic growth and stability.
Reports from these experts establish the fact that frequent attacks, without doubts, are threats to development, but the roots causes have to be identified and addressed in a well-refined, systemic, rigorous and more practical way to ensure sustainable peace and tranquillity for business and human habitation.
With an approximate population of 30 million, Mozambique is endowed with rich and extensive natural resources but remains one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world. The IMF has classified the country as a Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC). Over the past few years, the economy has been shaken by a number of serious corruption scandals, and the government has achieved little results with its anti-corruption efforts.
Mozambique is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, Eswatini (Swaziland) and South Africa to the southwest. It is one of the 16 countries, with a collective responsibility to promote socio-economic and political and security cooperation, within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Kester Kenn Klomegah is a versatile researcher and a passionate contributor. Most of his well-resourced articles are reprinted elsewhere in a number of reputable foreign media.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
For transforming cross-border payments through its deployment with Global Money Exchange, Comviva has been named Best In-Class Cross Border Payments.
The global leader in digital transformation solutions clinched this latest accolade at the IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Innovation Award 2025.
The recognition highlights how Comviva’s mobiquity Pay is helping shape a modern cross-border payment ecosystem that stretches far beyond conventional remittance services.
Deployed as a white label Wallet Platform and launched as Global Pay Oman App, it fulfils GMEC’s dual vision—positioning itself as an innovative payment service provider while digitally extending its core money transfer business.
The solution allows GMEC to offer international money transfers alongside seamless forex ordering and other services. These capabilities sit alongside a broad suite of everyday financial services, including bill and utility payments, merchant transactions, education-related payments, and other digital conveniences — all delivered through one unified experience.
“This award is a testament to Oman’s accelerating digital transformation and our commitment to reshaping how cross-border payments serve people and businesses across the Sultanate.
“By partnering with Comviva and bringing the Global Pay Oman Super App, we have moved beyond traditional remittance services to create a truly inclusive and future-ready financial ecosystem.
“This innovation is not only enhancing convenience and transparency for our customers but is also supporting Oman’s broader vision of building a digitally empowered economy,” the Managing Director at Global Money Exchange, Subromoniyan K.S, said.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, said, “Cross-border payments are becoming a daily necessity, not a niche service, particularly for migrant and trade-linked economies.
“This recognition from IBS Intelligence validates our focus on building payment platforms that combine global reach with local relevance, operational resilience and a strong user experience. The deployment with Global Money Exchange Co. demonstrates how mobiquity® Pay enables financial institutions to move beyond remittances and deliver integrated digital services at scale.”
“The deployment of mobiquity Pay for GMEC showcases how scalable, API-driven digital wallet platforms can transform cross-border payments into seamless, value-rich experiences.
“By integrating remittances, bill payments, forex services, and AI-powered engagement into a unified Super App, Comviva has reimagined customer journeys and operational agility.
“This Best-in-Class Cross-border Payments award win stands as a testament to Comviva’s excellence in enabling financial institutions to compete and grow in a digitally convergent world,” the Director for Research and Digital Properties at IBS Intelligence, Nikhil Gokhale, said.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
At the end of an extensive consultation with African foreign ministers, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has emphasized that Moscow would advance its economic engagement across Africa, admittedly outlining obstacles delaying the prompt implementation of several initiatives set forth in Strategic Action Plan (2023-2026) approved in St. Petersburg during the Russia-Africa Summit.
The second Ministerial Conference, by the Russian Foreign Ministry with support from Roscongress Foundation and the Arab Republic of Egypt, marked an important milestone towards raising bilateral investment and economic cooperation.
In Cairo, the capital city of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Lavrov read out the final resolution script, in a full-packed conference hall, and voiced strong confidence that Moscow would achieve its strategic economic goals with Africa, with support from the African Union (AU) and other Regional Economic blocs in the subsequent years. Despite the complexities posed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, combined with geopolitical conditions inside the African continent, Moscow however reiterated its position to take serious steps in finding pragmatic prospects for mutual cooperation and improve multifaceted relations with Africa, distinctively in the different sectors: in trade, economic and investment spheres, education and culture, humanitarian and other promising areas.
The main event was the plenary session co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptians Abroad Bashar Abdelathi. Welcome messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdelhak Sisi were read.
And broadly, the meeting participants compared notes on the most pressing issues on the international and Russian-African agendas, with a focus on the full implementation of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved at the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023.
In addition, on the sidelines of the conference, Lavrov held talks with his African counterparts, and a number of bilateral documents were signed. A thematic event was held with the participation of Russian and African relevant agencies and organizations, aimed at unlocking the potential of trilateral Russia-Egypt-Africa cooperation in trade, economic, and educational spheres.
With changing times, Africa is rapidly becoming one of the key centers of a multipolar world order. It is experiencing a second awakening. Following their long-ago political independence, African countries are increasingly insisting on respect for their sovereignty and their right to independently manage their resources and destiny. Based on these conditions, it was concluded that Moscow begins an effective and comprehensive work on preparing a new three-year Cooperation and Joint Action Plan between Russia and Africa.
Moreover, these important areas of joint practical work are already detailed in the Joint Statement, which was unanimously approved and will serve as an important guideline for future work. According to reports, the Joint Statement reflects the progress of discussions on international and regional issues, as well as matters of global significance.
Following the conference, the Joint Statement adopted reflects shared approaches to addressing challenges and a mutual commitment to strengthening multifaceted cooperation with a view to ensuring high-quality preparation for the third Russia-Africa Summit in 2026.
On December 19-20, the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Cairo, Egypt. It was held for the first time on the African continent, attended by heads and representatives of the foreign policy ministries of 52 African states and the executive bodies of eight regional integration associations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Social media platform, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with United States and global investors to operate its business in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive, Mr Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on January 22, 2026 would end years of efforts by the US government to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
It is in line with a deal unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
Under the agreement, ByteDance will retain 19.9 per cent of the business, while Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold 15 per cent each.
Another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.
The White House previously said that Oracle, which was co-founded by President Trump’s supporter Larry Ellison, will license TikTok’s recommendation algorithm as part of the deal.
The deal comes after a series of delays.
Business Post reported in April 2024 that the administration of President Joe Biden passed a law to ban the app over national security concerns, unless it was sold.
The law was set to go into effect on January 20, 2025 but was pushed back multiple times by President Trump, while his administration worked out a deal to transfer ownership.
President Trump said in September that he had spoken on the phone to China’s President Xi Jinping, who he said had given the deal the go ahead.
The platform’s future remained unclear after the leaders met face to face in October.
The app’s fate was clouded by ongoing tensions between the two nations on trade and other matters.
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