Mozambique: President names former Justice Minister as Prime Minister

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Mozambique: President names former Justice Minister as Prime Minister

8:56 CAT | 17 Jan 2025

File photo: Notícias

Mozambique’s newly installed President, Daniel Chapo, on Friday appointed Maria Benvinda Levi, a former judge and Minister of Justice, to the post of Prime Minister, leading a team in which only the Minister of National Defence, Cristóvão Chume, was in the outgoing government.

The new government, announced today in a statement by the Presidency of the Republic, according to orders from the Head of State, who was sworn in on Wednesday, has 12 Ministers, in addition to the Prime Minister.

The inauguration of Benvinda Levi and the other members of the government has been scheduled for 9:00 am on Saturday, in the Office of the President of the Republic, in a ceremony presided over by the Head of State, Daniel Chapo.

Maria Benvinda Delfina Levi, 55 years old, was born in Maxixe, Inhambane province, has a degree in Law, was the presiding judge of the Judicial Court of the City of Maputo and Minister of Justice from 2008 to 2015, having been an advisor to the previous President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, until his dismissal on 14 January.

The President of the Republic appointed Cristóvão Chume to the post of Minister of National Defence, taking over the same portfolio as the previous government led by Filipe Nyusi, Paulo Chachine as Minister of the Interior, Maria dos Santos Lucas as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Carla Alexandra Loveira as Minister of Finance.

The government also includes Inocêncio Impissa as Minister of State Administration and Public Service, Roberto Albino as Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Salim Valá as Minister of Planning and Development, Estevão Pale as Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, and Basílio Muhate as Minister of Economy.

The first government formed by Daniel Chapo, the fifth President of the Republic of Mozambique, also includes Américo Muchanga as Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation, João Matlombe as Minister of Transport and Logistics, and Ussene Isse as Minister of Health.

The new Mozambican Head of State reduced the number of ministries and eliminated three secretariats of state, merging several sectors and creating new entities.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Presidency, in his first presidential decree, Daniel Chapo, who had been sworn in the day before, ordered the elimination of the Ministries of Economy and Finance, Transport and Communications, Culture and Tourism, Agriculture and Rural Development, Land and Environment, Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries, Industry and Commerce, Labour and Social Security, Education and Human Development and Technology and Higher Education.

Three secretariats of state were also eliminated, namely Youth and Employment, Sports and Higher Education.

In the same statement, the Mozambican Presidency indicated that the new head of state decided to create the Ministries of Finance, Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Transport and Logistics, Education and Culture, Labour, Gender and Social Action, Communications and Digital Transformation, Planning and Development and Youth and Sports.

On Wednesday, during his inauguration speech, Chapo promised to launch a broad reform of the State to reduce the number of ministries, create new entities, promote the digitalization of public services and combat corruption.

The elimination of the role of Deputy Minister and the reformulation of the positions of secretaries of State and permanent secretaries, in addition to reviewing the role of Secretaries of State in the Provinces were other promises made by the new head of state, who also said he would review the perks of public leaders and the State’s privatization program.

The digitalization of public services and the creation of a Ministry of Transport and Logistics, essentially dedicated to railways and ports, as well as the creation of a Court of Auditors and intermediate courts to streamline processes, along with arbitration centers, were other measures presented by Daniel Chapo with regard to State reform.

Source: Lusa