Key data for Mozambique

NCI39th HRCI24th HANCI36th
HANCI compares 45 countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 42.3% Wasting: 4.4% Proportion of population underweight: 4.4% Source: Government of Mozambique (IOF,2015)

Strong Performance

  • The Government encourages varied agricultural research and extension services, and local farmer organisations are involved in setting policy priorities. The extension system is effective and properly reaches out to poor farmers. Government policies, strategies and mechanisms seek to ensure gender equity in access to extension services.
  • In Mozambique, the law gives women economic rights equal to men. These rights are upheld in practice to reduce women’s vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Relative to other HANCI countries, Mozambique’s medium/long term national development policy (Proposta do plano quinquenal do governo) assigns strong importance to nutrition.
  • The National Nutrition Policy/Strategy identifies time bound nutrition targets and a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism has been set up.
  • The Government has fully enshrined the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes into domestic law.

Areas for improvement

  • Spending on agriculture (3.1% of public spending in 2019), does not meet government commitments set out in the African Union’s Maputo Declaration (10% of public spending).
  • Mozambique’s spending in its health sector (4.7% of public spending in 2017) does not fully meet (15%) commitments set out in the Abuja Declaration.
  • In Mozambique, the law gives women equal access to agricultural land as men. However, these laws are not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Mozambique does not have a separate budget line for nutrition; this prevents transparency and accountability for spending.
  • Policymakers in Mozambique do not benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2011.
  • The Government of Mozambique does not promote complementary feeding practices and has achieved two high doses of vitamin A supplementation for only 64% of children in 2018.
  • Weak access to improved sanitation facilities (29.4% in 2017) obstructs better hunger and nutrition outcomes.
  • In Mozambique, constitutional protection of the right to social security is weak.
  • Social safety nets in Mozambique are basic and only cover few risks for a limited number of beneficiaries.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
3.1%201927th
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
4.7%201730th
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Moderate2019Joint 18th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Strong2019Joint 17th
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
55%201532nd
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Weak2018Joint 26th
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Moderate2017Joint 10th
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 3rd
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
In Law & Practice2019Joint 1st
Constitutional right to social security
?
No2012Joint 33rd

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
No2019Joint 42nd
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
64%2018Joint 24th
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
No2013Joint 43rd
Population with access to an improved water source
?
70.7%201736th
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
29.4%201731st
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
87.2%201527th
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Strong2015-201915th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
No2011Joint 39th
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Fully Enshrined2019Joint 1st