Mozambique’s Universities Are Producing Too Many Unemployed Graduates, Chapo Warns

By MOZTIMES

Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo has delivered a scathing public critique of the country’s higher education system, warning that universities risk becoming “a factory for unemployed graduates”, if they fail to align training with the country’s economic realities.

Speaking at the opening of a National Conference on Higher Education in Maputo, Chapo said the country’s universities must urgently shift away from a model focused on theory and credentials toward one that prioritizes innovation, employability and direct contribution to economic transformation.

“We must ensure that our universities are not only transmitting knowledge, but producing solutions for the country’s development challenges,” the President said, stressing that education must be treated as a strategic pillar of national development rather than as a purely academic exercise.

These remarks come amid growing concern over youth unemployment and the limited capacity of the labour market to absorb increasing numbers of university graduates, despite a significant expansion of higher education institutions in recent years.

Chapo noted that the country now has 61 higher education institutions, compared to just one at independence in 1975, and that student enrolment has grown from just over 100,000 in 2010 to more than 270,000 today. However, he warned that expansion without relevance risks deepening structural unemployment.

“The challenge of our time is no longer just expanding access, but ensuring quality, relevance and economic impact,” he said.

The President acknowledged what he described as a structural imbalance between academic training and the needs of the productive sector, pointing to weak linkages between universities and industry, limited applied research, and insufficient focus on employability.

“We must recognize with honesty that our higher education system still faces important limitations,” Chapo said, citing “mismatch between training and the labour market, weak connection between universities and the productive sector, insufficient applied research and low employability in some areas.”

He added that without a strategic shift, Mozambique will struggle to build a modern economy anchored in productive skills.

Chapo urged universities to strengthen training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), while also expanding research capacity in agriculture, energy, mining, logistics and digital technologies.

He specifically highlighted emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data science and advanced computing, saying these areas are now central to global competitiveness and national sovereignty.

“The digital transformation of higher education is not optional, it is a strategic imperative,” he declared.

The President also called for stronger partnerships between universities and private business, arguing that relevance in higher education should be measured by its contribution to solving real social problems.

Chapo said youth unemployment remains one of the government’s “major concerns”, warning that universities cannot become “factories of unemployment” for graduates and their families.

“Behind every student entering university is an entire family placing its hope in a better future,” he said.

He urged institutions to prepare graduates not only for jobs, but also for entrepreneurship and innovation, enabling them to create employment and contribute to economic transformation.

Chapo stressed that Mozambique’s current challenge is no longer political liberation, but economic transformation driven by knowledge and productivity.

“If the first liberation gave us political independence, the second liberation will be achieved through knowledge, science, innovation and productive capacity,” he said.

He added that the future of higher education must be built collectively, involving government, universities, students, the private sector and development partners. (MT)

Transport and tourism critical for strengthening cooperation with Tanzania – Chapo