An integrated approach to maritime satellite communications in Mozambique : its impact on the Mozambique maritime infrastructure

This dissertation examines the worldwide current development of Maritime Satellite Communications technology; the INMARSAT organization and its Maritime Services, either for safety of life at sea or commercial and social applications, as well as the introduction of the new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and the Communication systems for use in the GMDSS that comprise Satellite and Terrestrial Communications. In addition, the research has addressed special attention to the review of the current state of maritime communications in Mozambique, the role that the national telecommunications company (TDM) plays in the maritime communications. The government efforts leading to the introduction of the GMDSS communications system in Mozambique and the activities of the national Maritime Safety Authority (SAFMAR) are also discussed in this paper. The need of co-operation with neighboring countries in order to build up the efficient Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) is considered. The routing arrangement with Coast Earth Stations providing services in INMARSAT-A, B, C and M in all four ocean regions coverage by INMARSAT geostationary satellites is shown to be the transitional stage to the full introduction of new technology based in Maritime Satellite Communications in Mozambique. The need of training for those whose tasks are to operate the day-to-day GMDSS communications in Mozambique is discussed, as well as the role of Escola Nautica de Mocambique (ENM) regarding the training of personnel for General Operator’s Certificate (GOC), where the use of PC-based simulators, in addition to the real-life equipment already available at ENM is also considered. The concluding chapter sum up the key issues discussed in this dissertation and gives more emphasis on the need of proper training of personnel to serve the GMDSS radio stations either ashore or onboard ships equipped with this technology, where proper use of the English language is required

Microcystin Incidence in the Drinking Water of Mozambique: Challenges for Public Health Protection

Microcystins (MCs) are cyanotoxins produced mainly by freshwater cyanobacteria, which constitute a threat to public health due to their negative effects on humans, such as gastroenteritis and related diseases, including death. In Mozambique, where only 50% of the people have access to safe drinking water, this hepatotoxin is not monitored, and consequently, the population may be exposed to MCs. The few studies done in Maputo and Gaza provinces indicated the occurrence of MC-LR, -YR, and -RR at a concentration ranging from 6.83 to 7.78 μg·L−1, which are very high, around 7 times above than the maximum limit (1 μg·L−1) recommended by WHO. The potential MCs-producing in the studied sites are mainly Microcystis species. These data from Mozambique and from surrounding countries (South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania) evidence the need to implement an operational monitoring program of MCs in order to reduce or avoid the possible cases of intoxications since the drinking water quality control tests recommended by the Ministry of Health do not include an MC test. To date, no data of water poisoning episodes recorded were associated with MCs presence in the water. However, this might be underestimated due to a lack of monitoring facilities and/or a lack of public health staff trained for recognizing symptoms of MCs intoxication since the presence of high MCs concentration was reported in Maputo and Gaza provinces.This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) projects UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020. Acknowledgement to Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian for the partial scholarship of Isidro José Tamele and the project EMERTOX [grant 734748], funded by H2020-MSCA-RISE 2016

The Incidence of Marine Toxins and the Associated Seafood Poisoning Episodes in the African Countries of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea

The occurrence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and bacteria can be one of the great threats to public health due to their ability to produce marine toxins (MTs). The most reported MTs include paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), amnesic shellfish toxins (ASTs), diarrheic shellfish toxins (DSTs), cyclic imines (CIs), ciguatoxins (CTXs), azaspiracids (AZTs), palytoxin (PlTXs), tetrodotoxins (TTXs) and their analogs, some of them leading to fatal outcomes. MTs have been reported in several marine organisms causing human poisoning incidents since these organisms constitute the food basis of coastal human populations. In African countries of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, to date, only South Africa has a specific monitoring program for MTs and some other countries count only with respect to centers of seafood poisoning control. Therefore, the aim of this review is to evaluate the occurrence of MTs and associated poisoning episodes as a contribution to public health and monitoring programs as an MT risk assessment tool for this geographic region.This research was supported by the project Alertox-Net [EAPA-317-2016] of the Interreg Atlantic Area Program funded by the European Regional Development Fund and by the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology [FCT] project UID/Multi/04423/2013. Acknowledgments: Acknowledgement to project EMERTOX [grant 734748], funded by H2020-MSCA-RISE 2016

O impacto da evolução do sector bancário no crescimento económico em Moçambique

Mestrado em FinançasO Sector Bancário Moçambicano tem evoluído ao longo dos anos em termos de números de bancos e de agências bancárias. O presente estudo tem como objectivo medir o impacto desta evolução no crescimento económico do país. Devido à limitação de dados para Moçambique, procedemos à recolha de dados para outros países com uma realidade económica e financeira semelhante à de Moçambique. Os dados foram organizados em dados em painel para 10 países da África Subsariana, para um período anual de 1998-2007. Com base nas variáveis por nós utilizadas para representar o sector bancário, concluímos que o crédito bancário ao sector privado apesar de ter o sinal esperado não é estatisticamente significativo. Este resultado poderá estar associado ao baixo valor do rácio crédito bancário ao sector privado sobre o PIB, poderá também estar associado à canalização menos eficiente do crédito para projectos produtivos e ao montante do crédito que é canalizado para particulares. Por outro lado, o spread bancário apresenta uma relação negativa e significativa com o crescimento económico, mostrando que a expansão do sector bancário torna o sector eficiente, reduzindo os custos de transacção e a margem entre a taxa activa e a taxa passiva promovendo o crescimento económico. Assim sendo, pensamos que devem ser reforçadas políticas direccionadas para o aumento da concessão de crédito bancário ao sector empresarial em Moçambique, como forma de atrair maior investimento para o país. É também crucial que exista um sector bancário competitivo como forma de promover maior eficiência no sector.The Mozambican banking sector has evolved over the years in terms of numbers of banks and bank branches. The present study aims to measure the impact of these trends on economic growth in the country. Due to limited data for Mozambique, we proceeded to collect data for other countries with similar financial and economic reality to Mozambique. The data were organized in panel data for 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for an annual period of 1998-2007. Based on the variables that we used to represent the banking sector, we conclude that bank credit to the private sector despite the expected signal is not statistically significant. This result may be associated with the low value of the ratio of bank credit to private sector to GDP, it may be associated with less efficient channeling of credit for productive projects and the amount of credit that is targeted towards individuals. On the other hand, the banking spread has a significant and negative relationship with economic growth, showing that the expansion of the banking sector makes the sector efficient, reducing transaction costs and the margin between lending and deposit rates, promoting economic growth. Therefore, we believe that targeted policies should be strengthened to increase bank lending to the corporate sector in Mozambique as a way to attract more investment to the country. It is also crucial for the country to have a competitive banking sector in order to promote greater efficiency in the sector

Improving Appropriate Technologies for Small Scale Irrigation in Semi-arid Areas: a Case Study on Mabote District of Mozambique

Chapter II addresses the use of earth dams as an appropriate technology for rainwater harvesting for small scale irrigation. The effectiveness of this technology in the Mabote district has been hindered by incorrect site selection resulting in non operational structures. This chapter focuses in the identification of suitable areas for the installation of earth dams using geographic information system (GIS) techniques. GIS was also used to evaluate rainwater harvesting in general, including small scale, in-situ applications. Chapter III addresses the use of human powered pumps as an appropriate technology for small scale irrigation. Failure of human powered pumps has been reported in the Mabote district, where farmers had difficulties in maintaining such devices. Therefore, in this study, two human powered pumps were submitted to continuous operation and their durability was evaluated. GIS modeling showed that less than 1% of the Mabote district area is highly suitable for the installation of earth dams. Therefore, correct site selection, using reference maps produced herein, would reduce losses of resources due to ineffective dam installation. However, the results showed a comparatively large potential (43% of the district area) for the use of in-situ water harvesting techniques. A treadle pump and a rower pump were evaluated, where the last performed better. Pump durability was influenced by the moving parts, where the pistons are the main concern followed by the pulley assembly. Routine maintenance is recommended, which should not exceed 200-400 hours of operation. The author suggests that human powered pump manufactures include spares of the listed parts in the `new pump kit'. Human powered pump designers are also encouraged to improve designs to make access to parts easier, during maintenance operations.Biosystems and Agricultural Engineerin

Mycotoxins in Mozambique: Need for a national monitoring programme

The occurrence of mycotoxins poses a threat to public health in Mozambique, with several cases of poisoning in humans caused by aflatoxins after consumption of groundnuts and maize reported before 1975. Over time, the control and monitoring of mycotoxins in agricultural and non-agricultural food and feed seem to have dropped significantly in Mozambique. So, the objective of this review is to recommend the implementation of monitoring and control of mycotoxins and fungal development. From our review, we note that data regarding mycotoxins in Mozambique are very limited and this makes it difficult to assess the spatial and temporal occurrence of mycotoxins in Mozambique. The scarcity of data does not mean that mycotoxins do not occur in Mozambique because the few studies that are available have confirmed the presence of mycotoxins in food and feed at concentrations above permissible limits in many countries of the world. This situation indicates a need for the creation of mycotoxin monitoring programmes involving the ministries of agriculture and public health (in coordination with universities) at the national level. Significance: This review provides relevant information that can help local authorities in Mozambique to implement a mycotoxin monitoring programme