Informal land markets and urban governance in Mozambique
Photo credit: Farah Nabil (Unsplash)
July 3, 2025
This article published in World Development, explores Informal land markets, and how they are treated as separate and distinct from the formal mechanisms entailed by state law and regulation. The article focuses on a case in Maputo, Mozambique. It argues that the line between state law and informal rules is more complicated than it seems, as the state is still involved in unofficial land markets through local authorities and hidden practices. The paper introduces new ways to look at legality and informality, showing that what is prohibited in one part of the law can be allowed in another. It concludes that all people involved in managing urban land, including those operating informally, should be held to the same standards of fairness and accountability as official government offices.
Shaping Mozambique's National Energy Compact for Mission 300
June 17, 2025
CPGD, in its role as a co-investigator of the 'Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for a Just Energy Transition in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania' (JustGESI) project, recently participated in the public consultation on Mozambique’s National Energy Compact with the aim of ensuring the Compact reflects measures to support a just and socially inclusive energy transition.
The National Energy Compact is being developed as part of Mission 300 (M300), a joint initiative of the World Bank and the African Development Bank that aims to ensure access to energy for 300 million Africans by 2030. Mozambique formally joined M300 during the Africa Energy Summit, held in January 2025, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The public consultation was organised by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) to ensuring that the Compact reflects the priorities and needs of the different actors in the energy sector, which is scheduled to be officially presented and signed by the President of the Republic in September 2025.
Government strategies and tradeoffs to secure private finance for energy transition
May 14, 2025
Our new journal article, Financial value regime alignment and Mozambique’s heterogeneous energy landscape, published in Sustainability Science examines the strategies deployed by state actors as they seek to secure investment to fulfil their ambitious energy transition strategies – focusing on the case of Mozambique.
The article led by Professor Idalina Baptista from Oxford University and co-written by CPGD researchers draws on a qualitative analysis of policies and key informant interviews. The article examines the efforts of the Government of Mozambique and the state-owned national electricity utility EDM to improve the attractiveness of on-grid and off-grid energy initiatives to meet the prevailing financial value regimes of potential investors and the implications this has for the country’s energy landscape. The paper highlights key trade-offs that governments may face as they seek private investment to achieve their energy transitions and universal electrification goals.
Reflections on electoral participation
following Mozambique's 2024 election
January 30, 2025
This Policy Brief looks at issues and methods in electoral participation in Mozambique, following the country's most recent election that took place in October 2024. It explores the effect of electoral violence and other electoral malpractices within electoral legislation on electoral participation using official election data on Mozambique’s legislative elections, which have occurred simultaneously with presidential elections, since 1994. The brief concludes with policy recommendations on how to enhance electoral participation.
How Does Legal Culture Matter for Climate Mobilities in Urban Mozambique?
October 24, 2024
This new journal article, co-authored by CPGD's Researcher Amélia Macome looks at climate mobilities in an unplanned settlement in Maputo, Mozambique. It explores how legal culture influenced residents’ decision-making processes as they navigated climate-related risks in their daily lives. The case study uncovered a nuanced ‘ecosystem’ of land laws, comprising two official systems – formal and informal. Despite their contradictory substantive content regarding land rights, these systems functioned symbiotically, allowing residents of unplanned settlements to mitigate the effects of climate risks.
Photo credit: William Muchanga, MISTY Project
Freedom from Political Killings in Mozambique 1930-2023
October 23, 2024
Footnote: V-Dem Survey question: Is there freedom from political killings? Clarification: Political killings are killings by the state or its agents without due process of law for the purpose of eliminating political opponents. These killings are the result of deliberate use of lethal force by the police, security forces, prison officials, or other agents of the state (including paramilitary groups).
Response categories: 0: Not respected by public authorities. Political killings are practiced systematically and they are typically incited and approved by top leaders of government; 1: Weakly respected by public authorities. Political killings are practiced frequently and top leaders of government are not actively working to prevent them; 2: Somewhat respected by public authorities. Political killings are practiced occasionally but they are typically not incited and approved by top leaders of government; 3: Mostly respected by public authorities. Political killings are practiced in a few isolated cases but they are not incited or approved by top leaders of government; 4: Fully respected by public authorities. Political killings are non-existent.
This graph observes Mozambique’s ‘freedom from political killings’ using the 2024 V-Dem data where a score of 0 corresponds to ‘not respected by authorities’ and a score of 4 meaning that they are ‘fully respected by authorities’.
This graph is presented in the context of a critical moment in the country following the 9 October 2024 general elections and the recent assassination of two opposition party officials (on 19 October 2024) who were allegedly compiling evidence to submit a legal case about election irregularities. The V-Dem data shows that, during one period of multiparty rule (1995-2014), political killings were ‘mostly respected by public authorities’ – that is, political killings only occurred in a few isolated cases and were not incited or approved by top leaders of government. During the period of multiparty politics between 2015-2023, freedom from political killings reduced and were only ‘somewhat respected by public authorities’ - that is political killings were practiced occasionally but they are typically not incited and approved by top leaders of government.
More information about V-Dem data can be found here:
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New book on community energy and sustainable energy transitions
May 24, 2024
This new open access book engages with the difficulties of delivering community energy in practice, building on practical experiences in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Mozambique. In the context where many people still lack access to electricity, community energy can be an alternative to advance universal energy access and build resilience in sustainable energy transitions.
Exploring emerging election issues
March 19, 2024
What are the implications of: (i) the 2019 national election voter registration on political representation; (ii) the ‘civil-society-ization’ of electoral management on electoral integrity; (iii) the extended time period to count results on electoral transparency; and (iv) opposition political parties action in guaranteeing electoral truth? These emerging issues are discussed in the policy brief ‘Questões Eleitorais Emergentes’.