Mozambique stands at an unforgiving juncture in its development. It is one of the least developed countries in the world, facing myriad challenges in environmental and waste management. These challenges present exceptional opportunities for those who see beyond the surface. Let us take an inside view of the landscape of waste management in Mozambique: its current state, investment opportunities, and a promising future.

Mozambique faces serious challenges in waste management, mainly due to a lack of coordination in discharge and a very weak legislative framework.

The significant barriers identified are financial constraints, lack of technical resources, and inefficient legal frameworks.

Some of the investment opportunities include the formation of legal frameworks, recycling, and public-private partnerships.

Proper waste management may lead to environmental sustainability, improved public health, economic growth, and job creation.

Effective waste management practices support several United Nations SDGs.

Think of Mozambique, a country in southeastern Africa where busy markets blur into the calm, soothing beats of the Indian Ocean. But even this beauty comes at a great enemy: waste. In the capital city, Maputo—colorful, lively streets—mountains of waste speak volumes about challenges to come. It is in this landscape that our story began: a pressing need for a robust waste management system.

One finds an undisciplined approach to waste disposal in most major towns and cities in Mozambique. It diminishes the aesthetic value of the scenery and poses severe health threats to locals who come into contact with such hazardous materials. According to Gani et al. (2020), problems such as those described above arise from a lack of synergy and attention towards sustainable waste management practices. 

Imagine an emerging country from the shadow of a 16-year civil war, trying to rebuild its infrastructure and economy. Of course, the journey of such a development path in Mozambique has been met with financial constraints and a lack of technical resources; Sallwey et al. mention that industries related to waste have not been able to work at full capacity due to poor planning and coordination. Added to this situation is either the absence or ineffectiveness of legal and institutional frameworks for proper waste management.

Challenges in Maputo are multiplied. According to Muchangos et al. (2017), the city’s waste generation increased from 397,000 t of waste generated in 2007 to a total of about 437,000 t in 2014. While it shows improvement with regard to waste collection, illegal dumping is still very widespread. There remains an urgent need for practical strategies to reduce waste and increase material recovery.

What if these challenges are harnessed to bring opportunities? If the very challenges that Mozambique faces today became part of the stepping stone towards that sustainable future, then what?

• Strengthening Policy and Legal Frameworks: The existing Mozambique legal framework on environmental management is vast but requires serious overhauling. This also applies to the EIA process with public consultation—a good practice for more decentralized governance—but weak in areas of enforcement and monitoring. That is where investors could really make a difference. By supporting the means to strengthen legal frameworks, investors stand in an incomparable position to ensure robust environmental management and sustainable development.While recent legal reforms have been very strong in terms of public-interest safeguards, challenges remain to be overcome. For example, the tight deadlines for reviewing investment proposals and the focus on economic outcomes, at the expense of environmental sustainability, are yet to be worked out. How the investment will help Mozambique achieve a resilient, sustainable future remains a critical challenge.

• Recycling and Resource Recovery Initiatives

With a large organic fraction in municipal solid waste, Mozambique has significant potential for waste recycling and resource recovery. Imagine the power of transforming waste into resources and creating value, casting off what is normally discarded. Building upon this, investors can help achieve a good number of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for Mozambique, particularly those related to responsible consumption and production, health and well-being, clean water and sanitation, and life on land.

Sallwey et al. (2017) argue that integrated resource management concepts could be used to achieve sustainable solutions for MSW management in Mozambique. The possibility is that investors could build on existing initiatives to support recycling and resource recovery practices that enable plausible reductions in environmental impacts while promoting sustainability.

• Public-Private Partnership: A New Way Forward

PPPs offer an opportunity to advance waste management services in Mozambique, fully involving municipal authorities and private sector entities in close collaboration to enhance service delivery in informal settlements, which are largely characterized by a lack of public services. Depending on the context, one such measure may be the involvement of PPPs in improving waste management in these settlement areas. Research by Tvedten and Candiracci (2018) indicated that PPPs had the potential to improve waste management in Maputo’s informal settlements. Although residents of such localities regularly pay for the services to be rendered, in most cases, waste removal is not done. PPPs can fill this gap by bringing the efficiency and resources of the private sector to complement public-sector efforts.

1. Environmental Sustainability: Imagine Mozambique, with its luxuriant landscapes, clothed in the splendor of green, clean cities in perfect harmony with it. Investment in waste management can help achieve a sustainable environment. Proper waste management reduces greenhouse gas emissions, prevents pollution, and preserves natural ecosystems. This investment helps to mitigate the impacts of climate change and ensures a fresher environment.

2. Public Health Improvements: Think about the implications for public health: cleaner waste management systems reduce the health risks posed by poor waste-handling practices. This translates into fewer respiratory problems, infections, and many more diseases. By investing in better waste management infrastructures and practices, one goes a long way to enhancing the overall well-being of the population.

Proper sanitation, in particular the effective collection and disposal of waste, is the bedrock of health protection. Indeed, investment in improving these services will yield very major public benefits to health, transforming lives and communities.

3. Economic Growth, Job Creation: Imagine the economic growth and jobs that will have spiraled out of these investments. Developing recycling facilities, waste-to-energy plants, and other waste management facilities is skilled work, thereby creating jobs. Moreover, better waste management practices contribute to increased foreign direct investment, thereby growing the economy.

Muchangos et al. (2017) have, in the same contexts, argued that economic innovation in Maputo requires practical waste-reduction strategies as well as material recovery. Material recovery generates activities for economic businesses related to new industries or the expansion of existing ones.

4. Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Effective waste management practices relate to many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Contributions in this sector ensure that investors will be instrumental in Mozambique’s achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed,

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being: Proper waste management minimizes health risks and supports the general well-being of communities.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation—proper waste disposal to prevent water contamination and guarantee access to clean water.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Recycling and resource recovery help support the shift toward sustainable consumption and production patterns.
• SDG 15: Life on Land. This is ensured through effective waste management, which stops the destruction of ecosystems and thus protects biodiversity and natural habitats.

The environmental and waste management sectors in Mozambique are full of opportunities. The current status of waste management, characterized by uncoordinated disposal practices and weak regulation, needs many improvements on the ground. However, these same challenges also create significant investment opportunities with great environmental, public health, and economic benefits.

Investment in Mozambique’s waste management services offers an opportunity to accelerate environmental sustainability for its citizens, improve public health, stimulate economic growth, and enable the fulfillment of the country’s sustainable development goals. Proper legal frameworks, support for recycling, and strengthened public-private partnerships are ways for investors to make a significant impact on Mozambique’s pathways toward sustainable development.

The effective management of waste in Mozambique is not only a requirement but an opportunity for transformative growth. Leveraging the frontiers of change, those who seek to make a difference have the opportunity to work on issues that will promote health and a sustainable future for the nation and its people. Investments in environmental and waste management services in Mozambique are, therefore, not entirely financial investments but rather investments directed towards the future of this nation.