Small Business in Mozambique after the War
报告了莫桑比克小企业的现状，分析了历史、心理和基础设施等因素如何阻碍本土创业，对研究非洲发展和小企业政策的学者有参考价值。
Under colonial rule, poor and uneducated Portuguese controlled the business opportunities in Mozambique, and when independence came, the country was governed by a Marxist dictatorship. Consequently, indigenous entrepreneurship in Mozambique is lacking. The nation is attempting to cope with the problems of an uneducated population and insufficient food production. Small business is looked upon as the cure-all, and the World Bank financed a scheme to promote business of this size. However, because the population is still traumatized from the recent civil war and the resulting extreme poverty, people are lacking the motivation to invest much effort. Furthermore, a poor infrastructure adds to the list of problems. Mozambique is the poorest country in the world (per capita GNP in 1994 was $80 U.S.), not because of lack of resources, but largely due to historical and psychological factors. This international note reports on the state of small business in Mozambique, discussing a variety of causal variables. In this discussion, the term micro-enterprise is used as defined by the government of Mozambique - a business concern with not more than ten employees. Historical Background When the Portuguese arrived in Mozambique during the 1400s, their principal activity was not the colonization of east Africa, but rather the establishment of trading enclaves where gold, ivory, and slaves could be purchased. A protectionist policy was introduced to seal off the territory from potential investments by any non-Portuguese parties, and throughout the colonial years, Portugal kept a tight control over Mozambique. The slave trade flourished until the twentieth century. Records indicate that by 1912, Mozambique had exported millions of slaves. When slavery was officially abolished, forced labor, known as chibalo, was introduced. Mozambique sent citizens to work in South African gold mines; the South Africans paid for the labor, but Portugal did not allow the miners to keep any of their wages. The Portuguese also introduced forced labor on plantations, on motor ways, and on the railroad. Portugal developed quite a dependence on its colonies. During the years following World War II, more than half a million peasant families in Mozambique were producing cotton. Cotton producers in Mozambique were forced to grow cotton and sell it to the state below world market prices. This allowed Portugal to rely on its colonies for 96 per cent of its needs. Where cotton could not grow, farmers were made to grow groundnuts and/or rice. Cashew nuts became Mozambique's major export, while the people of Mozambique relied on South Africa for energy and basic foods including fish, maize, onions, potatoes, and other vegetables. In 1953, the Portuguese ordered people to leave their farms and villages to clear more land for forced cotton growing. Each family was also obliged to grow cassava and sorghum. Asians, however, were exempt from forced labor and were allowed to operate their private small businesses. According to the 1955 census, 65 per cent of the Europeans in Mozambique were illiterate at the time. Illiteracy among Africans was even higher. In 1962, an independence movement was established. It came to be known as the Frente de Liberacao de Mocambique (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique), also referred to as Frelimo. It began a violent revolution in 1964. In April, 1974, the coup in Portugal ended half a century of Fascist rule, but launched what would become civil war in Mozambique. Portugal abandoned its colonies in September, and Fralimo took control of Mozambique. In response to changes in the political environment, 90 per cent of the 200,000 Europeans in Mozambique departed for Portugal. With formal independence on June 25, 1975, the people of Mozambique were relieved to learn that they could grow cotton if and when they wished to, as forced cotton growing had been officially banned. However, less than a month later, education, funerals, health, and law were nationalized. …