BCI and António Niquice present a study on cashew nuts and reindustrialization at UEM

The donation of António Niquice's work broadens access to knowledge about a sector that has already placed Mozambique among the world's largest producers.

The Commercial and Investment Bank (BCI) offered Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) copies of the book "Cashew Economy in Mozambique - The Context of Bretton Woods Policies and the Assumptions of Reindustrialization Engineering," by Professor António Niquice. This initiative provides students, teachers, and researchers with a reflection on the potential of agro-industry to generate value, employment, and income in Mozambique.

The handover took place at the Brazão Mazula Library, at UEM, and was carried out by the BCI Administrator, Farhana Razak, in a ceremony attended by the Vice-Rector of UEM, Mohsin Sidat, university officials, teachers, researchers and students.

This work revisits the history of the cashew industry and places a current challenge at the center of the debate: how to internally transform the resources produced in the country, adding value to them before export. Cashew nuts assume particular relevance in this debate due to the weight they have historically had in the national economy and, above all, their impact on the income of rural families and communities.

“Each book that arrives at a library represents knowledge that becomes available, an opportunity for research and, eventually, the starting point for new ideas and new solutions,” stated Farhana Razak. The Administrator emphasized that supporting education and knowledge constitutes, for BCI, a way of investing in the sustainable development of the country.

António Niquice, for his part, highlighted precisely the importance of making research accessible to more people. "Knowledge only has value when it is shared," he stated, thanking BCI for allowing the work, through UEM, to reach a wider audience.

According to the author, the cashew experience should serve as a reference for a broader discussion about the national production model. Mozambique, he argued, needs to capitalize on the different stages of the value chains, moving from the production of raw materials to their processing and transformation. "The cashew industry and the cashew nut [are] an example of what we need to do and do well," he stated.

The Vice-Rector of UEM, Mohsin Sidat, highlighted the contribution of the publication to students' access to knowledge about the national reality. "For us, it is a great satisfaction and an honor to receive this work, which will enrich the University's bibliographic collection," he stated, encouraging students to learn about the social and economic dimensions of the sector through the publication.

This initiative continues the partnership between BCI and UEM in areas such as education, research, culture, sports, and heritage preservation, reinforcing the commitment to the circulation of knowledge and the production of solutions to Mozambique's economic and social challenges.