Mozambique has gone six months without any recorded kidnapping cases, the country’s President Daniel Chapo announced today, stressing that improved security is strengthening confidence and boosting the country’s attractiveness for both domestic and foreign investment.
“Mozambique has gone six months without any recorded kidnapping cases confirmed by the authorities,” said the head of state and leader of FRELIMO (the ruling party) during the opening of the Second National Council of the Mozambican Youth Organization (OJM) in Maputo.
According to Chapo, this stability fulfils a promise he made at his inauguration in January 2025 and is beginning to restore a sense of security among domestic and international business communities, which have been the main targets of kidnappings that have affected around 150 businesspeople over the past 12 years, according to previous industry data.
“This new reality is beginning to emerge as a determining factor for confidence and investment from both national and international business communities,” he added.
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On March 15, Chapo said authorities were working with “calm and serenity” to curb this type of crime in the country.
“We had situations of foreigners who wanted to invest in Mozambique and ended up not investing because of this specific crime, and we are working calmly and steadily to combat this evil,” he said in Brussels.
According to the Mozambican President, a Portuguese businessman released the previous week (March 10) was the only remaining hostage in the country, highlighting a decline in such crimes as a key factor for attracting investment.
Around 300 people involved in kidnapping cases have been arrested since the first reports of these crimes in Mozambique in 2010, according to the spokesperson of SERNIC, who noted that this figure is only an estimate.
Over the past 12 years, around 100 investors have also left the country due to security concerns, according to figures released in 2024 by the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA).
