The Construction Sector in Mozambique

Abstract

Mozambique’s construction sector has long played an important role in the economy. However, this sector has proven to be vulnerable to economic fluctuations, such as those which emerged after 2014 with the macroeconomic and debt crisis, and faces challenges which need to be addressed through long-term sector policies. International experience shows that investment in infrastructure and human capital can play a key role in economic development by enabling expansion in activities, deeper intersectoral integration, and structural transformation in the long run. However, when countries face high construction costs, this can negatively affect the quality of public infrastructures. Moreover, bottlenecks affecting construction companies prevent them from expanding, which leads to an increase in costs and prices when there is a surge in demand. This chapter aims both to identify the main bottlenecks affecting the sector and to present some policy measures.