Maputo, Aug. 22, 2025 (Lusa) - The inspector general of Portugal's Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) expressed Lisbon's openness in Maputo on Friday to support the creation of a general food inspectorate in Mozambique, considering it an "added value".
"Now the whole chain, civil society, academia, the state, need to come together to realise that this aggregation, this unification of inspections is an added value for everyone, for the consumer, for economic operators, for the state," said Luís Lourenço, inspector general of Portugal's ASAE, speaking to Lusa on the sidelines of the opening of the seminar to consult on the creation of the General Inspection of the State and of Food and Economic Security, in Maputo.
According to the official, the institution will be an asset for Mozambicans, as it will ensure that food safety is guaranteed, including an economic advantage, thus allowing the country to evolve much more quickly.
"If there is greater capacity to supervise and respect all the rules that are in place, it will naturally [allow the country to evolve]," he explained.
The representative, who has held the position of inspector-general in Portugal since 2023, also said that he would support Mozambique in sharing its existing experience, and argued that the country needs "the will" to merge all the inspections.
"Here, the first contribution is effectively the country's willingness to do this project. It's extremely important that the country wants to do this and that's why Portugal is available," he said.
"There is a huge gain for economic operators, who have a single voice in terms of the country and the state, to know what they have to comply with in terms of legislation. On the other hand, it's much more productive to have an inspection with a single voice, with a single form of procedure, with a single mechanism," he explained.
Luís Lourenço also said that the initiative aims to benefit the end consumer in various sectors of production, not just the economy.
"This inspection will have to ensure that all of this production, from the moment it is grown, from the moment it is manufactured, to the final consumer, guarantees that it has the best conditions," he added, emphasising that another of the objectives is to combat unfair competition.
Mozambique's government wants the General State and Food Safety Inspectorate to act as a "real body" for control and inspection.
"The proposal to create the General State Inspectorate, which will be merged with the General Finance Inspectorate, aims to provide the Mozambican state with a central body with the capacity to prevent, detect, investigate and combat corruption, as well as provide integrity and ethics," said the Minister of State Administration and Civil Service today.
According to Inocêncio Impissa, the two institutions, which should answer directly to the President of Mozambique, should above all ensure "greater coherence, efficiency, effectiveness and rigour in the management of public affairs", as well as the implementation of public policies and the "rational use of resources" of the state.
"The proposal (...) responds to the need to protect the Mozambican economy and, above all, the condition to safeguard the well-being of our population by strengthening surveillance and control over the quality and safety of food," said Impissa, adding that the body should also monitor the functioning of markets and compliance with economic standards, thus contributing to "consumer protection and social justice".
On 22 June, the President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, announced that the creation of a state inspector general was underway.
VIYS/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
