U.S.- Mozambique Relations
On June 25, 1975, the United States recognized The People’s Republic of Mozambique when President Gerald R. Ford sent a letter to that effect to President Samora Moises Machel.
The United States and Mozambique established diplomatic relations on September 23, 1975, when Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Foreign Minister Joachim Alberto Chissano initialed a joint communiqué. The U.S. Embassy opened later that year.
Since that time we have had continual relations with Mozambique and we have noteworthy ties between our countries: Eduardo Mondlane earned degrees from two American universities and Janet, the American woman who became his wife, dedicated herself to Mozambique; Maria de Lurdes Mutola, proud daughter of Mozambique whose talents were nurtured in the United States and who became an amazing champion athlete; a historic meeting between Samora Machel and Ronald Reagan.
The United States provided assistance after the tragic floods of 2000, when 115,000 families received individual cash grants from the U.S. to help them rebuild their lives. Assistance from the U.S. continues in various sectors – agriculture, education, democracy and governance, and of course, the health sector especially through the PEPFAR program, which, in partnership with the Mozambican government has saved hundreds of thousands of lives from the ravages of HIV/AIDS.
All told, the United States has contributed more than $6 billion in assistance to Mozambique, since 1984.
Current Priorities
The United States works in partnership with Mozambicans to develop a more prosperous, democratic and inclusive Mozambique.
The bulk of our annual support is through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. There are literally hundreds of thousands of Mozambicans who are alive today because of U.S. government assistance in combatting HIV and AIDS. We know with continued investment, partnership with the government of Mozambique and, notably, an end to stigma and discrimination, we can end the AIDS epidemic here.
We also support civil society and the security sector, environmental conservation, and education. We are focused on economic development and on improving livelihoods, especially in rural areas. U.S. government programs aim to enhance production, improve market and credit access, and transform subsistence farming into commercial agriculture. Our support is designed to help create opportunities through entrepreneurship, access to markets, and a healthy business climate.
Other significant U.S. foreign assistance programs include the, the Peace Corps, the Feed the Future Initiative, the President’s Malaria Initiative, and the Global Climate Change Initiative, and economic development. We also provided assistance through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact, which concluded in 2013 after an investment of almost $448 million.
