Beira, Mozambique, Aug. 7, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambican authorities warned on Thursday that drug dealers are wearing school uniforms to sell drugs in some educational institutions in the province of Sofala, central Mozambique.
“The way the school uniform business is run makes it easy for anyone who wants to achieve their goals,” António Semente, provincial director of the fight against drugs in Sofala, told the media.
According to him, many traffickers enter schools during the long break, “which lasts between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on school rules,” and, wearing school uniforms for this purpose, sell drugs to pupils.
Currently, several Mozambican schools, mainly secondary schools, are concerned about alcohol and drug use among young people, with images circulating on social media of teenagers and young people using drugs inside educational institutions.
In 2024, Mozambican health facilities treated a total of 23,409 patients for drug use, according to figures released in May by the Central Office for Drug Prevention and Control (GCPCD).
According to the agency, the Mozambican capital recorded the highest number of hospitalisations (11,355), followed by the province of Manica (6,451) and Sofala (606), with alcohol and cannabis sativa being the most commonly consumed substances.
In 2023, young people were the ones who most sought mental health services due to the increase in the consumption of various types of drugs, with a 30% increase in outpatient mental health consultations, according to government data.
The Mozambican government said on Tuesday that it would stop the manufacture of high-alcohol drinks, which have been proven to be ‘harmful to society’, especially to young people, including in schools, promising to punish offenders.
"What must be done is to close down these factories that produce this harmful product. This does not mean eventually shutting down a beverage factory, but rather the production of a certain line of products that are consumed and have proven to be harmful to society, particularly to young people," said Inocêncio Impissa, spokesman for the Cabinet, responding to questions from journalists after a meeting of that body in Maputo.
The measure, he added, aims to end the consumption of these products by young people, and for now, the executive is considering removing them mainly from commercial establishments near schools to “prevent direct contact between young people, children and teenagers with these drinks and other harmful substances”.
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