Mozambique’s economy has been anything but sluggish in the past two decades. The Lusophone southern African country has, apart from a few years, grown by at least 6% annually in the period.
But it is starting from a low base. Its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011 was $13bn – that of neighbouring South Africa, the biggest economy on the continent, was more than $400bn. And with a GDP per capita of only about $600, its 23 million people are among the poorest in the world. But given that it was considered an economic basket case in 1992, when it had just emerged from a devastating civil war, its subsequent performance and ability to attract large-scale foreign investment has impressed analysts.