News

The Fernando Leite Couto Foundation and Moza Banco announced on Monday, the winners of the literary award that in this edition was dedicated to prose (novel, novella, short story and chronicles). These are the authors Maya Ângela Macuácua, author of a novel entitled “Diamantes pretos em meio a cristais” (“Black Diamonds amid Crystals”), and Geremias José Mendoso, with the collection of short stories “Quando os mochos piam” (“When the owls hoot“).

Both winners were chosen ahead of candidates such as: Fernanda Vitorino do Rosário Mualeia João, with the novel "Amor em tempos incertos" (“Love in uncertain times”); Wasquete Jasse Fernando, with the novel "Noites de desassossego" (“Restless nights”) and Adelino Albano Luís, with the short story book "Estórias trazidas pela ventania" (Stories brought by the wind”), who were the remaining three finalists of the Fernando Leite Couto Literary Prize.

The jury, composed of Conceição Siopa, Conceição Ciueia, Albino Macuácua and José dos Remédios under the leadership of the author Francisco Noa, decided to attribute the prize to the aforementioned authors as “besides having fulfilled the defined criteria, the novel "Diamantes pretos em meio a cristais" presents an innovative perspective by the way it distributes the stories in different temporal and spatial dimensions, with different characters, but with a common denominator that is related to human suffering. As for the collection of short stories "Quando os mochos piam", a strong ironic tone prevails, making the stories oscillate between the tragic and the hilarious, with a marked inspiration from oral tradition and everyday events,” the jury chairperson, Francisco Noa, said.

On the occasion, representing Moza Banco, Executive Committee member Sérgio Ribeiro, said that the award, besides honouring and exalting the legacy of the Foundation's patron, a figure whose career and work history is saddled with elevating, also boosts the emergence of young talent, rewarding young people who stand out in the area of creative writing.

“Our words at this moment are of joy and congratulation to the young authors Maya Angela Macuacua and Geremias Mendoso who, with the quality of content they presented, have overcome the strong competition and become the big winners of this edition. We hope that they continue on a successful path and that, inspired by the great names of Mozambican literature, they can give us more literary works.”

The big winners of the literary prize received a monetary award, offered by Moza Banco, which also sponsors the printing of the works submitted in the competition.

Since its creation, the Fernando Leite Couto Prize has already had two winners, namely, Macvildo Pedro Bonde, with the poetry collection “Descrição das Sombras” ("Description of Shadows"), in 2017, and Otildo Justino Guido, with the work “O Silêncio da Pele” ("Silence of the Skin"), in 2019.

In 2018, the jury decided not to award the prize, as none of the candidates met the quality requirements demanded by the award criteria.

Despite the markedly challenging context, Moza Banco continued to focus in 2021 on the improvement and consolidation of key economic and financial indicators.  This is the understanding of the Moza Banco’s Shareholders following the Session of the Ordinary General Meeting, which took place this Thursday 31^st March, a meeting in which the Management Report and the Financial Statements for 2021 were reviewed and approved.

The growth recorded in indicators such as Solidity and Liquidity in its Gross Operating Results and in the Provisions and Non-Performing Loans Coverage denote the commitment assumed by the Bank in the continuous improvement of its management mechanisms, with a view to achieving continued effective stability.

Without losses in the recent past, Moza Banco continued, in the financial year 2021, committed to the consolidation process initiated in recent years.

“The financial year just ended was adverse and once again we had to reinvent ourselves. It served to reaffirm our commitment to consolidating key economic and financial indicators. Notwithstanding the adversities, we have witnessed notable achievements mirrored above all by the growth recorded in indicators such as solidity and liquidity, in gross operating income and in the coverage of Non-Performing Loans.  The recovery and clean-up process is moving in the right direction, so there should be no doubt as to the intended objectives” João Figueiredo, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Moza Banco, said.  

In the year under review, the Bank focused on permanently regaining the trust of the market and its customers, in order to build a stable and continuously growing deposit portfolio; rebuilding the loan portfolio, fine-tuning risk management policy with regard to new operations, but also making a major effort to recover and manage non-performing loans or those showing signs of fragility; and finally, maintaining a strong containment and rationalisation of operating costs.

Moza Banco was also committed to modernising and implementing technological systems that ensure better monitoring of risk management in all aspects of banking operations, a differentiating factor in the supply of products and services, embodying the slogan of "greater proximity" to customers, ease of communication and transactions.  There was also an increase in cross-selling, with greater penetration in customer assets by providing a range of products and services adapted to the needs of each segment and resulting in an increase in loyalty.

“In terms of credit risk management, the Bank has made a great effort in the recovery and management of non-performing loans, within the framework of its strategic guidelines and which has resulted in an improvement in the levels of non-performing loans, with a reduction of 16%", Moza Banco’s Board Chairman added.

Despite the challenging context, the Bank maintained its record growth, as a result of the trust deposited by its customers, partners and stakeholders in general. At transactional level, the Bank recorded significant growth in digital channels, having registered increases of 117% and 62% in Moza Já (USSD) and Moza Net (eBanking), respectively. The Bank has maintained its trend to innovate within the digital transformation framework, having released the new WhatsApp Banking channel, AZAPP, to its customers in 2021.

Also in 2021, Moza Banco continued to hold a significant standing in terms of market share - assets 5.62%, deposits 5.67% and credit 8.49% - thus consolidating its position as a leading Bank in the financial system.

In view of the rates of delinquency in granted loans, the Bank conducted a process to optimise its balance sheet which resulted in the annual reduction of the net loan portfolio by 10%, setting it at MZN 22 billion, compared to the MZN 24.4 billion recorded in 2020.

The optimisation of this balance sheet resulted in an improvement of the cost-to-income ratio by 4 percentage points (pp), to 75%, an amount considered acceptable within the national financial system.

In relation to the strategy of greater financial involvement with its Customers, the Bank closed 2021 with a liquidity ratio of 44.55%, well above the regularly established ratio of 25%. On the other hand, the strategies implemented also allowed Moza to close 2021 with a solvency ratio of 23.21%, exceeding the minimum of 12% defined by the Central Bank of Mozambique.

João Figueiredo also noted that the strategic trajectory defined by the Bank in recent years had been maintained, which is reflected in the operating profit achieved, which grew by 285% over the previous year.  This performance is reflected in the improvement of the cost-to-income ratio which reduced from 100.5% recorded in 2020 to levels of 67.2% in 2021. This efficiency achieved is the result of a greater capacity to generate revenue combined with strict control and rationalisation of costs, “The negative net income is calculated at around MZN 1,381 million resulting from the need to reinforce impairments to cover the risk associated to a large overdue operation whose expected recoverability is in the long term. If this effect were isolated, the Bank would record a positive net income of around MZN 105 million, which demonstrates the consistency achieved in line with the objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan in force”, Moza Banco’s Board Chairman added.

The Bank's solidity was strengthened with the completion of another share capital increase operation by our shareholders, to the amount of MZN 1.953 Million, thus signalling their confidence in the Bank.

Moza Banco ambassador and respected Mozambican musician, Luís Pereira, better known as Stewart Sukuma, this year celebrates 40 years of a solid career in the cultural context of Mozambique and beyond. 

Early on Wednesday evening, 23^rd March, the launch event for the 40^th anniversary celebrations of the career of musician and social activist Stewart Sukuma, who entered the world of music in 1982 with the recording of his first song entitled "Musica Quente".

40 years later, Sukuma is still managing to reinvent himself with a unique marrabenta style without losing the essence of the 50s. Stewart was the first musician to break the language barrier by singing this popular Tsonga style in Portuguese. 

To celebrate four decades of hard work, several activities are scheduled to start from 25^th March, “We chose 25^th March to start the activities of this celebration as it is the day I celebrate my birthday.  This initiative will have several cultural and social actions that will end one year later, on 25^th March 2023. For me, 40 years later a new phase begins, as if it were the beginning of a career, with the enthusiasm and joy of someone who is creating their first song”, Stewart Sukuma said.

Moza Banco partners these commemorations, which aim to recognize and celebrate the life and work of Stewart Sukuma, an icon of the national music scene, with an invaluable contribution in the promotion of Mozambican culture.

The CEO of Moza Banco, Manuel Soares, said during his speech that the 40 years of Stewart's career mark a trajectory along which the musician has offered music lovers and others, true hits that stand out for the richness of their compositions, poetry and melody, with contagious sounds and rhythms, which have made them timeless.

“Songs such as Julieta, Sumanga, Moçambique or Felisminha are a clear example of this. Marrabenta, one of the main musical rhythms in Mozambique and which represents our identity, has one of its main promoters in Stewart Sukuma, who manages to reinvent it in a unique way from time to time, without allowing it to lose its essence”.

Later, Moza's CEO left the musician with a challenge, saying “we launch here the challenge for you to continue for many more years to contribute with your knowledge, with your art, and with your music, to the appreciation of Mozambican culture and the exaltation of Mozambicanness, as you have been doing so perfectly for 40 years now”.

As well as being a musician and activist, writing has become a strong weapon for Stewart in his songs, making poetry also part of his DNA. That is why his latest literary work will soon be presented by the Grupo Editorial Atlântico in Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique.

In his story, the seventh art has enthralled the musician who in 2017 was invited to play an important role in a film shot in Durban, South Africa with a story of overcoming!

Sukuma also remains a social activist for humanitarian causes, having been the first Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Mozambique.  He was the first Mozambican to enter the Berklee College of Music, Boston, an institution of higher learning in music, where he is a member of the African Evaluation Committee and a Consultant to the African Scholars Program.

He has been a major winner at the Ngoma Mozambique and Mozambique Music Awards and has won several international awards. In 2016, he was decorated with the title of Officer of the Order of Merit of Infante D. Henrique, by the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and in 2018 he was awarded the LPE Medal, from the Government of Brazil.

Moza Banco has joined the efforts of the district government of Angónia, Tete province, in order to minimize the suffering of more than 300 families that are victims of Cyclone ANA, through the donation of non-perishable food products.

The donation delivery, mainly made up of tons of locally produced maize flour, took place recently in Angónia district, Tete province. The local administration is responsible for delivering and distributing all the products to the beneficiary communities, affected by ANA cyclone in that part of the country.

The district administrator, Raimundo Brumo, started by thanking Moza Banco for the gesture, going on to assure that the flour will be channelled to the legitimate beneficiaries.

“The District Government requested support from our partner Moza Banco, and this was promptly answered, and the result is this. We now have food for our brothers and children who are in need at the moment. The food will reach everyone”.

For Moza, this support is the way the Bank has found to join the government's efforts to find solutions in order to minimise part of the suffering experienced by these communities.

This action comes as part of the Bank's Corporate Social Responsibility Policy, which focuses on improving the living conditions of the communities where the Bank operates, fostering fruitful and lasting relationships with its stakeholders.

During the passage of the tropical depression ANA in the north and centre of the country, the district of Angónia was particularly affected, with total or partial destruction of social and housing infrastructure, namely: 27 classrooms, 286 houses, 1 water supply system, 166.6 hectares of cultivated area and around 300 families, corresponding to about 1,500 people.

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, on Wednesday 9^th March inaugurated the first bank branch in Maringué district, Sofala province - a branch of Moza Banco. The presence of Moza Banco in this district comes under the National Strategy of financial inclusion, through which the Mozambican government hopes to ensure that by the end of this year over 30% of the population has access to a bank account in a formal financial institution, in order to cover 75% of districts across the country.

Following the unveiling of the plaque and cutting the ribbon, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, addressed the population stating that his government is committed to solving the problems of the population, giving as an example, the set of benefits that the Moza Banco branch just inaugurated brings for civil servants, traders and for the general public.

The opening of the Moza Banco branch in Maringué is another proof of the peace and tranquillity that is being experienced in this region.

This branch is equipped to serve about 50 thousand people offering various products and services and concludes the goal of having every district in the province of Sofala within the national banking network.  In Sofala, we have already achieved what we set out to do. From this branch you can make demand deposits and savings products, such as term deposits, and apply for credit for investments or consumption. The bank is not just for depositing and withdrawing money, you can do even more.

“One District, One Bank" is a project being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Celso Correia, through the National Fund for Sustainable Development, "this project is an asset for national banking and for our economy. I am sure that with the inauguration of this bank branch, the first in this district, the residents of Maringué will breathe a sigh of relief, because from today they will spare effort and reduce distances in seeking banking services”.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors at Moza Banco, João Figueiredo, said that with the start of operations of this Moza Banco business unit, residents of Maringué and its surroundings now have a place close by where they can conveniently and securely carry out banking operations and find financial solutions that meet their specific needs.

“This branch is at the service of everyone: the general public, civil servants and State agents, micro, small and medium-sized local companies, producers and breeders, offering innovative financial solutions to help them make the savings resulting from their personal or collective effort profitable and to carry out their personal, professional, business or institutional projects. Here you will have access to loan products for a wide variety of purposes, including the purchase of inputs, equipment and other instruments to improve agricultural production and productivity. You will also be able to access savings solutions that will make your money earn money, so that you can later invest in other projects and businesses.”

With the opening of the branch in Maringué, Moza now has a total of 64 Business Units, reinforcing its status as the Bank with the 3rd largest branch network in the country. Under the partnership with the FNDS, there are now 17 Moza branches in the same number of districts. Moza is therefore seen as a Bank of and for Mozambique, bolstering its presence in every province.

Besides inaugurating the bank branch, Moza Banco has decided to associate with the District Government of Maringuè, contributing towards the cost of acquiring an electricity transformer station, to be installed in the buffer zone of the district capital, “it is our expectation that this support, which will soon be materialised, will allow the electricity grid to be expanded in Maringuè, supplying the local primary school, small economic enterprises and the green zone, fertile for producing vegetables and cattle breeding”, João Figueiredo, Moza’s Board Chairman concluded.