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With the aim of honouring the deeds of the Mozambican heroes who fell on the various battlefronts for the "liberation of the land and men", Moza joined forces with Marracuene district authorities to ensure that the 129^th anniversary of the Battle of Gwaza Muthini, in which dozens of warriors gave their lives to prevent foreign domination, was made possible.

The event, which took place on 2^nd February, also saw the passing of Mozambican Heroes' Day, which was marked the very next day (3^rd February), with the participation of over 15,000 national and foreign citizens in a packed ceremony where tradition and culture "walked hand in hand".

In her speech on the occasion, the Permanent Secretary of Marracuene District, Nércia Sevene, praised the contribution from partners, including the support provided by Moza. "We want Gwaza Muthini to be a celebration that lights the way for a prosperous and promising future for all of us and for this land of warriors". Nércia Sevene added.   

For Executive Board Member Jaime Joaquim, supporting the Gwaza Muthini festivities is an opportunity for Moza to strengthen its sense of belonging and connection with Mozambique's history.

"It's a pleasure to support these celebrations, helping to immortalise this important date in our history, while at the same time underlining our role as a bank that promotes national culture. With this action, we also want to value our heroes, who sacrificed themselves in the name of freedom," Jaime Joaquim highlighted.

This year, Moza intends to further strengthen its actions in the name of Mozambican culture, with the aim of making the history of Mozambique both timeless and cross-generational. By strengthening culture, the Bank believes it is also strengthening itself, since its brand carries the symbol of Mozambican pride - "Made in Mozambique". 

Moza Banco has provided the Empresa Municipal de Mobilidade e Estacionamento (EMME) with around 5 million dollars, equivalent to more than 330 million meticais, in credit, to materialise the project to build the Maputo City Council's multistorey carpark, adjacent to the Central Market.

The already completed infrastructure, inaugurated on Friday (26 January) by the city's mayor, Eneas Comiche, now guarantees a total of 420 parking spaces on 3 levels, considerably easing the pressure on the city's downtown area as far as car parking is concerned. Also under the project, 330 new stalls were added to Maputo's central market, with the aim of minimising the risk associated with informal vending on the city's pavements and roads, an activity that often results in road accidents and other ills.

According to Eneas Comiche, who was speaking at the ceremony to inaugurate the new multistorey carpark, the new building will help to resolve two issues of concern to the town council in one fell swoop, since it "increases the number of stalls in the market to absorb informal vendors, removing them from the pavements and other public spaces; while it also solves the problem of mobility and parking". 

On the same occasion, the authorities announced that residents will be able to access the car park for a symbolic fee of 20 meticais per hour, which is considerably lower than the fee charged by private companies in the same sector.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Jaime Joaquim, a member of Moza's Executive Committee, expressed his satisfaction with the conclusion of the project and welcomed the strength of the partnership with EMME, which dates back to 2017.

"We are proud to know that, with our funding, we have helped to build such important infrastructure for this city. As well as being extremely necessary in the area where it is located (downtown Maputo), the infrastructure reflects how meritorious it can be for Mozambicans to join forces in favour of the common good," Jaime Joaquim said, adding that "as Moza, we commend and want to continue maintaining this partnership with EMME, materialising similar projects in other parts of the city with the same needs."

 By financing initiatives to implement pioneering and essential urban mobility projects, Moza is reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development in Mozambique.  

Moza's CFO, Devan Manmoandas, has argued that only by investing in human capital can institutions (especially those linked to the financial sector) succeed in their Digital Transformation processes. For Manmoandas, there is little point in investing in the acquisition of innovative machines, tools and technological systems while the mentality of their users remains reticent about the dynamics of change. 

The statements were made this Wednesday in Maputo during the presentation ceremony of the CFO Survey Mozambique, a study carried out by Ernst & Young that is focused on the financial leaders and employees of 37 institutions in the Banking and Insurance sectors in Mozambique.

To emphasise his point, Manmoandas used the analogy "You can buy the best juicer, but if the fruit isn't good, the juice won't be either", in a clear reference to the need to invest in the skills of employees in order to achieve success. 

The Financial Director also welcomed Mozambique's rapid evolution towards Digital Transformation, pointing to Covid-19 as one of the primary drivers in this irreversible process.

"At Moza, for example, today we don't need a room full of people to produce our reports. Through an integrated system, we are able to work independently and still achieve our goals successfully," he said.

In the same vein, Devan Manmoandas spoke about his work, pointing to the issue of organising, cataloguing and protecting financial data as fundamental to the success of what he does.

"I feel that there is increasing awareness of the need to put financial data issues at the centre of the Digital Transformation strategy. Only with assertive, up-to-date financial information can you ensure a return on investment," Moza's CFO added.  

Moza is proud to be a bank that shares ideas and strategic reflections on various topics, including those that refer to investment in the quality and skills of human capital. The Bank believes that all technology depends on people to make the best results happen. 

As in previous years, during 2023 Moza Banco stood out for its commitment to Social Responsibility, making a series of initiatives possible in various areas, with a particular focus on education, volunteering, sustainability, art and literature and sport.

In education, the Bank ensured that citizens in the districts of Derre (Zambézia), Memba and Murrupula (Nampula), Chimbunila and Majune (Niassa), in the central and northern regions, acquired essential knowledge for a better understanding of the need to save and invest, with the implementation of the radio programme on financial education called "Conta com o Moza" (Count on Moza). The message, broadcast in local languages, was mainly aimed at people in rural areas, including farmers, small traders, students, civil servants and state agents.

In the same period, Moza trained dozens of journalists in issues relating to the national financial market, with the aim of providing the press with tools to analyse the various reports and scenarios relating to the country's economy.

On the humanitarian front, Moza answered the call of the victims of the floods that hit the district of Boane in February last year, joining the efforts of the local authority by promoting campaigns to collect goods and basic necessities to alleviate the suffering of the affected communities. In addition to Boane, Moza's solidarity campaigns have also benefited other regions of the country, culminating in the Christmas solidarity lunch that took place last December in the Manjangue community in Chokwe, bringing together a group of the Bank's employees and more than 300 needy children. On the occasion, more than 200 kits of school supplies were donated as a way of encouraging the children not to drop out of school.   Similar initiatives took place in other parts of the country, specifically at the Gondola District Hospital in Manica and at the Criança Esperança Orphanage in Pemba, Cabo Delgado.  

Likewise on the solidarity side, as a bank interested in supporting the most vulnerable social groups, last year Moza employees travelled to Nampula, specifically to the Betel Religious Reception Centre, where they offered wheelchairs to children and elderly people with walking difficulties, to minimise the difficulties they face as a result of the physical condition imposed by their disability.

 And to empower women and girls, the Bank's social arm, Clube Moza, became a member of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), the largest global alliance for the promotion of women's, children's and adolescents' health, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

On the environmental front, the members of Clube Moza carried out various actions in favour of preserving ecosystems, with a particular focus on strengthening vegetation in various critical areas of the country threatened by climate change, especially erosion. The actions were part of the ambitious project called "Vamos Plantar Arvores" (Let's Plant Trees), the main aim of which is to encourage the Bank's employees and other friends and associates to plant one million trees in the most critical areas across the country, thus generating a significant generational impact. Last year the project covered Maputo, specifically the Xefina Islands and the district of Namaacha, and the province of Inhambane, specifically the coastal area of the town of Maxixe, where thousands of saplings were planted in partnership with the local authorities.

In the artistic and literary field, the Bank maximised its partnership with the Fernando Leite Couto Foundation to promote literary meetings and the launch of works by new authors and established writers, contributing to the growth of the national artistic and literary pool. Moza financially sponsored the 5th edition of the Fernando Leite Couto Literary Prize, funding the printing and launch of the books by the authors who won the prize in the previous edition, as it has done since this partnership was established. Some of these works were launched outside Maputo, reaching readers in various parts of the country, especially in the provinces of Gaza, Sofala and Nampula. Among the authors supported is the renowned Mozambican writer Mia Couto, who recently released his "Compêndio para Desenterrar Nuvens” (“Compendium for Unearthing Clouds"). 

2023 also saw Moza combine education and theatre, with the launch of the play "Saber Sonhar o amanhã" (Knowing How to Dream Tomorrow), in which the nation is invited to reflect on the importance of saving to build a brighter future.  With the launch of the play in question, the Bank began a series of activities aimed at children and young people, with the aim of disseminating educational messages about saving, in various schools in the three regions of the country.

On the sports scene, Moza also made its contribution. Moza sponsored the Maputo City Swimming Association (ANCM), making a series of training programmes possible, the aim of which was to improve the theoretical component of the swimmers, ensuring that they are even more effective in sport. The Bank also sponsored the Mozambican judoka, Jacira Ferreira, making it possible for her to take part in various international tournaments, in particular the Algiers African Open and the Yaonde African Open, continental competitions in which the national representative won 3rd place and consequently recorded a considerable improvement in the world ranking. This year (2024) the Bank will finance the athlete's international tour with the aim of guaranteeing her qualification for the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Also last year, the Bank signed an agreement with Rádio Moçambique, particularly RM Desporto, to support the deployment of a reporting team to accompany and broadcast the participation of the Mozambican national football team, the "Mambas", in the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), 2024. 

This year (2024) Moza will further strengthen its investment in social and environmental responsibility actions, believing that through these initiatives the Bank supports projects with a positive impact, using its resources in favour of an increasingly better Mozambique, in which each Mozambican makes change happen.

• The initiative by EIB Global and Moza Banco, as part of the Global Gateway Strategy, will offer financing to small and medium-sized businesses in Mozambique, with a special focus on businesses owned or run by women.
• Women are less likely to be able to access adequate financing for their businesses and the EIB-Moza Banco instrument will bridge this financing gap.
• The project will support economic growth, prosperity and gender equality.

Access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Mozambique will increase thanks to a 10-million-euro loan signed today by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funding will allow Moza Banco to make available a new 20-million-euro instrument for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

The instrument will offer loans with favourable terms, aimed at companies that are owned or led by women, that employ a significant number of women or that offer specific services for women. Funding will be available in various sectors, including manufacturing, transport, agriculture, health and services.

The African continent has one of the highest percentages of female entrepreneurs in the world. In Mozambique, more than three-quarters of the working population derives its livelihood from a small or medium-sized business, and two-thirds of the workers in such businesses are women.

"The economic empowerment of women is essential for a country's development," said Thomas Östros, EIB Vice-President responsible for diversity and inclusion and operations in African countries. "By investing in small businesses run by women in Mozambique, the EIB is helping them to access economic opportunities, create livelihoods and gain financial independence. Investing in these businesses is not only an investment in women, but also in the education and health of their families, as well as in employment. Women's prosperity benefits society and the economy as a whole."

The CEO of Moza Banco, Manuel Soares, said that "Moza Banco firmly believes in the transformative power of financing projects that strengthen the role of women in society, recognising that this not only boosts economic development, but also promotes the financial independence of this important social group. In Mozambique, and also on the continent, we see a growing determination on the part of women to take the lead and become protagonists of their own trajectories. We have a strong desire to boost the potential of these women, creating facilities for obtaining resources and opportunities that not only elevate the position of Mozambican women in the economy, but also foster the construction of a more inclusive and equitable society."

The European Union's ambassador to Mozambique, Antonino Maggiore, said that "the Global Gateway Strategy in Mozambique aims to encourage public and private investment to generate sustainable growth and jobs for the country's growing youth population. Therefore, one of its priorities is to ensure that SMEs, especially those led by women, have greater access to finance. The European Union has high hopes that, as a result of this financing instrument, the potential of the Mozambican private sector will be fully utilised."

Small businesses are a key driver of economic growth and development, providing goods, services, jobs and income to local communities. To thrive, especially in a context of climate change and an adverse global economy, they need adequate funding. However, statistics show that, worldwide, women are less likely to access the finance they need. The EIB-Moza Banco facility will bridge this financing gap with financial mechanisms and products geared towards the needs of women entrepreneurs.