SPOTLIGHT

Revitalizing an Island Gem

TechnoServe helps a historic Mozambican island develop a tourism industry plan to bring much-needed jobs and business opportunities for local residents.

Learn More »

Building Businesses and Industries

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Cashew
To revitalize the country's once-thriving cashew industry, TechnoServe is helping entrepreneurs to establish viable processing plants and training farmers to produce more and better nuts. We have also helped launch a trade association whose activities include branding Mozambican cashews so that they command higher prices on the world market. And we are helping shape policies that will enable the industry to be more globally competitive. So far these efforts have led to more than a dozen new factories and 6,000 new jobs in rural areas with little to no previous cash economy. The expanding industry has the potential to increase the incomes of nearly one million farmers.
Key supporters: U.S. Agency for International Development, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco)

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Horticulture
TechnoServe is helping Mozambique position itself as a leading producer of high-quality fruits. We help entrepreneurs develop business plans, raise capital and improve their production so their farms develop a reputation for quality. TechnoServe links growers to commercial enterprises and export markets, for example connecting banana growers to the world's largest fruit company, which could boost the incomes of farmers and generate thousands of new jobs.
Key supporters: U.S. Agency for International Development, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), and Irish Aid

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Poultry
TechnoServe is working to revitalize Mozambique's poultry industry. We are improving the productivity and quality of small-scale growers and larger processors, while also helping to develop safeguards against biohazards such as avian flu. And we have helped form an industry association which has already successfully advocated for key policy changes. These efforts have already helped some 300 poor families boost their incomes by raising an additional 2.5 million chickens per year. To support this growth, TechnoServe is working with corn and soybean producers to also develop the feed industry.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development

Alternative Energy
Growing demand for alternative sources of energy offers Mozambique an opportunity to develop local sources of biodiesel. TechnoServe has therefore launched a pilot processing model with local coconut companies, while exploring regulatory measures that will create the right conditions for growing the industry.
Key supporters: Irish Aid

Tourism
With its miles of beautiful beaches and historic port towns, Mozambique has great potential for ecotourism and related businesses that create jobs and markets for food, traditional crafts and other items. TechnoServe provides a number of eco-lodge ventures with help on business plans, financing and management skills. We are also piloting ways to promote locally owned tourism businesses and regional linkages among travel-related companies in northern Mozambique and neighboring countries to create a destination travel circuit.
Key supporters: The Ford Foundation and the Africa Safari Lodge Program

Other Sectors
To promote the sustainable use of forests while optimizing the economic and social benefits of this important resource, TechnoServe provides guidance to the wood products industry, with a focus on developing value-added products and improving the management of plantations. These initiatives are expected to generate thousands of new jobs.
Key supporters: U.S. Agency for International Development