My fourth week in Mozambique was spent in the northern part of the country.We visited with financial services businesses, NGOs and VSLA groups in and around the towns of Pemba and Nampula which lie in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula respectively. A relatively large and stretched out countryââalmost two times the size of California and the distance from north to south almost twice that of Californiaâs as wellââtraveling around takes time here.Adding poor roads and infrastructure to the equation means that distances become multiples of what we are used to back home and as such the cultural differences and state of economic activity are also magnified.So, getting around to observe these differences is important for our project.
Pemba lies on the Indian Ocean in Cabo Delgado province which borders Tanzania to the north. It is a majority Muslim province and one of the poorest regions of the country (Mozambique is about 25% Muslim in total).Being closer to the equator it is a lot hotter than Maputo and the âculturalâ differences, not to mention the distance to the capital and central administration gives it a very different feel.Combine that with a beautiful stretch of beach and a bit of a backpackerâs destination, the mix of people there is interesting indeed.
