Mozambique paid only 5% of the basic social subsidy in 2024 – study

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Mozambique paid only 5% of the basic social subsidy in 2024 – study

4:34 CAT | 17 Jul 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Rádio Moçambique]

A report by the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), a Mozambican non-governmental organization, estimates that only 5% of the basic social subsidy was paid in 2024 in the country, warning that the elderly are the most affected by the problem.

“In a country where two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line, social assistance programs should be a pillar of dignity and redistributive justice. However, the Basic Social Subsidy Program (PSSB) – the largest social assistance instrument in Mozambique – has become a symbol of broken promises, mismanagement of funds, and, in some cases, corruption,” reads the conclusions of the CIP report, released this Wednesday [full text, in Portuguese, here ].

According to the NGO, only a portion of the budgeted resources were actually implemented by the branches of the National Institute of Social Action (INAS) – 23% in 2023 and 5% in 2024. This fact “was justified by the limited budgetary capacity conditioned by the country’s current economic situation”.

“In the last two years, the provision of social assistance to households in situations of poverty and vulnerability by INAS was below 7% of the annual forecast,” it states.

The NGO explains that a “significant” portion of the resources made available was used to cover administrative costs such as policing, fuel, and allowances for technicians, “while thousands of elderly people, chronically ill people, and families in extremely vulnerable situations were deprived of the minimum support to which they are entitled”.

The Centre for Public Integrity says the government’s deficient budget allocation to the social services system has contributed to the poor performance of the ENSSB II [National Basic Social Security Strategy 2016-2024], caused, among other things, by poor fund management, lack of effective oversight, and a lack of inter- and intra-sectoral coordination.

“The INAS delegations of Marrupa [a district in Niassa province], Chimoio [Manica], and Manhiça [Maputo] were allocated a total budget of 129 million meticais [€1.73 million] for 2023 and 2024. Of this amount, 87 million meticais [€1.17 million]—corresponding to 67% of the allocated budget—went to administrative expenses, and only 33% went to the beneficiaries. This scenario contrasts with the spending efficiency criterion, which allocates 12% of the total PSSB budget to administrative expenses,” it states.

According to the CIP, many of the subsidy beneficiaries, approximately 80% of whom are elderly, were forced to resort to “other people’s charity” or adopt survival strategies “unworthy of the human condition”.

Source: Lusa