Roads
Most roads in Niassa are dirt, in reasonable conditions in the dry season from April to December. Some of them do not allow the passage of trucks during the rainy season. Be completed in 2004 paved the road linking the port of Nacala to Malawi through the Niassa. In the same period will be rehabilitated the main road that goes from Cuamba to Lichinga.
Line-rail
Niassa, in general, is little affected by mines. Only along the border with Tanzania is a track with a large concentration of mines. The other places where mines were placed during the war are well known by local communities and are recorded on a map. There are many organizations that are working in the demining of mined areas.
The local farmers produce various kinds of fruit such as bananas, mangoes, papayas, avocados and melons. At present it seems that no big export market for fruits produced in Mozambique. Small farmers sell their fruit in the local market. There is also a great potential for various types of citrus. In the high plateau can easily be grown peaches and apples. There are also local markets for wine as the climate and conditions are appropriate in almost all the province.
Soil Fertility
In the high plateau in the north and central area of the province, the soil type varies from sand to granite "banket red." In southern Niassa and a small strip along the Lake Niassa, soils dominate the river.
Location
The Niassa is the largest province of Mozambique (129 000 km2), which is along Lake Niassa and the border with Tanzania. Its altitude ranges from 500 m above sea level to the high plateau of Lichinga, 1300 m above sea level. Most of the plains and mountains / undulating still covered in indigenous subtropical forest. The provincial capital and commercial center is Lichinga is Cuamba. Cuamba is located along the major road corridor to the port of Nacala to Malawi. With about 1 million inhabitants, has a population density of 6 persons per km2.
Niassa is Mozambique's largest province, covering approximately 16 per cent of the country's total area. It is also the least densely populated province, with an average of only seven people per square kilometre. Large areas of the province are almost totally uninhabited, with the population tending to be concentrated in the plateau areas and Niassa's less isolated southern parts. The province consequently remains one of the world's last genuine wildernesses, and still looks today much as it must have done to Dr Livingstone as he explored the African bush almost 150 years ago.
This information sheet aims to assist foreigners who are either living or wanting to live in Mozambique. The information below is general and not intended to cover every aspect of work and residence authorisation in Mozambique.
How can a foreigner work in Mozambique?
Any foreign person wishing to work in Mozambique has to obtain a work permit and a residence permit. The residence permit is called a DIRE (identification document of a foreign resident).
According to NGO projects there is currently very few cattle in Niassa. There are no cattle farms of any size and all the milk and beef consumed in the province is imported and thus expensive. As the province has a large Muslim population and pork consumption is thus low, beef could be an important addition to people’s diet. Before the war there were farms of many thousands of cattle and the area is thus obviously capable of sustaining such initiatives.
According to NGO projects skills levels in Niassa are generally low. Lichinga, for example, has only one school which educates students up to pre-university level. Cuamba has the Agricultural Faculty of the Catholic University which provides training in rural development and agri-business, including business training. Graduates from this department will be equipped to manage or provide consultancy services to small businesses. Students are available for work placement schemes in their final year which could provide a valuable resource for project development.
Raw data released in Maputo, recently, of the Third General Population and Housing Census show that currently Mozambique has a population of 20,069,738 people, including both nationals and foreigners, against an initial projection of 20,366,910 from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The census took place between 1 and 15 August 2007, and this figure represents a coverage of 98.5 per cent.
According to the Census Central Office (GCR) director, Joao Loureiro, these figures will be subject to some changes because there are a number of census bulletins yet to be collected.
