weighted score 5.9 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Mozambique
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Mozambique-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
6
TVPRA listing for tobacco (child labour). Agricultural sectors carry elevated risk. Poverty-driven child labour in smallholder farming. Enforcement capacity very weak.
Worker rights & FOA
6
Freedom of association legally protected but practically limited. Trade union presence concentrated in formal sector and Maputo. Rural workers have minimal collective bargaining capacity.
OHS & audit transparency
6
OHS regulation under-enforced. Labour inspectorates severely under-resourced. Social audit footprint minimal outside extractive sector.
Food & product safety
6
Food safety regulation exists but enforcement capacity limited. Agricultural export quality variable. Cashew and seafood sectors have some export-standard certification.
Environmental & regulatory
6
Deforestation and charcoal production are major environmental concerns. Environmental impact assessment required for large projects but enforcement weak for smaller operations.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI 26/100. Hidden debt scandal (2016) demonstrated systemic governance failure. Donor withdrawal followed. Institutional capacity very weak.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EU EBA duty-free, quota-free access. Low tariff risk for EU-bound supply chains. SADC-EU EPA provides additional framework.
Non-tariff barriers
6
Cabo Delgado insurgency creates physical access barriers in northern provinces. Bureaucratic customs processes. Infrastructure bottlenecks at ports.
Supply chain traceability
7
Fragmented smallholder agricultural supply chains. Minimal documentation at farm level. Chain of custody verification difficult. Extractive sector better but narrow.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced & child labour
- Mozambique's tobacco sector is listed on the US TVPRA (Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act) list for child labour. Agricultural sectors — particularly smallholder tobacco and cashew farming — carry elevated child labour risk due to poverty and weak enforcement.
- OHS & governance
- Occupational health and safety regulation exists on paper but enforcement is very weak. Labour inspectorates are under-resourced and concentrated in Maputo. Rural and informal sector workers have minimal regulatory protection.
- Audit coverage
- Social compliance audit coverage is extremely limited outside the extractive sector. SMETA, BSCI, and equivalent audit programmes have minimal footprint. Buyers sourcing agricultural commodities face significant traceability gaps.
Governance & Regulatory
Governance & Regulatory
- Corruption perception
- Transparency International CPI score of 26/100 — indicating very high perceived corruption. The 2016 hidden debt scandal (USD 2 billion in undisclosed state-guaranteed loans) resulted in donor withdrawal and IMF programme suspension.
- Tariff & trade access
- EU EBA (Everything But Arms) provides duty-free, quota-free access — scoring Tariff dimension at 2 (low risk for EU buyers). This is a material advantage for agricultural and commodity exports to the EU market.
- Security disruption
- Cabo Delgado insurgency (since 2017) has displaced over 1 million people and forced suspension of TotalEnergies' USD 20B+ LNG project. SADC and Rwandan military intervention ongoing. Northern provinces remain operationally inaccessible for most commercial activity.
Supply Chain & Traceability
Supply Chain & Traceability
- Traceability gaps
- Agricultural supply chains (cashew, tobacco, sugar) operate through fragmented smallholder networks with minimal documentation. Chain of custody from farm to export point is difficult to verify independently.
- Extractive sector
- LNG and mining sectors operate to international standards (IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles) but represent a narrow segment. Compliance infrastructure does not extend to broader economy.