US embassy cable - 05MAPUTO184

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MAPUTO 000184 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
STATE FOR INR/B AND AF/S - HTREGER 
STATE FOR AF/PD - CDALTON AND PEHRNMAN 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V 
STATE PASS USTR FOR PCOLEMAN 
STATE PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA 
MCC FOR BRIGGS AND GAULL 
USDOC FOR RTELCHIN 
DIA FOR MOLESWORTH RAF 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINR, PGOV, MZ, Biographical 
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: BIODATA ON NEW GUEBUZA CABINET (PART I) 
 
REF: MAPUTO 161 
Sensitive But Unclassified. Not for Internet Distribution. 
 
1. (U) This message provides biographical data for key 
cabinet ministers sworn in on February 5 by President 
Guebuza. Biodata on additional cabinet members will be 
provided in septels. Sources include official ministerial 
biographies, local media reports, and information obtained 
from Embassy contacts. 
 
-------- 
Contents 
-------- 
-- Luisa Dias Diogo Prime Minister 
-- Alcinda de Abreu Minister of Foreign Affairs 
and Cooperation 
-- Tobias Joaquim Dai Minister of Defense 
-- Jose Pacheco Minister of Interior 
-- Antonio Fernando Minister of Industry and 
Commerce 
-- Paulo Ivo Garrido Minister of Health 
-- Aiuba Cuereneia Minister of Development and 
Planning 
 
-------------------------------- 
Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister 
-------------------------------- 
2. (U) Luisa Diogo retains her post as Prime Minister, the 
office to which she was appointed in February 2004 by 
President Chissano after Pascoal Mocumbi resigned. During 
the last year of the Chissano government, Diogo 
simultaneously held the post of Prime Minister and Minister 
of Planning and Finance; Guebuza has relieved her of the 
latter responsibility, enabling her to focus full time on 
the duties of Prime Minister. 
 
3. (U) Diogo studied economics at Eduardo Mondlane 
University, Maputo's most prestigious public institute of 
higher education and, in 1992, went on to receive a Masters 
in Economics from the University of London. 
 
4. (U) Diogo began her public service career in 1980 with 
in the Ministry of Finance, rising from Department Head to 
National Budget Director [1989-1992], then Deputy Minister, 
and finally being appointed Minister of Planning and 
Finance by President Chissano following his 1999 
presidential win. In the early 1990's Diogo interrupted 
her public service career to work two years [1993-1994] in 
Mozambique as a Program Officer for the World Bank. Diogo 
played an integral part in the development of the GRM's 
Poverty Reduction Strategy (PARPA), which serves as the 
cornerstone of GRM policy. She is nationally and 
internationally respected, and has good relations with 
donors and international lending organizations. Diogo is 
expected to focus attention on Mozambique's underdeveloped 
rural areas, which President Guebuza has pledged will 
receive considerable government attention in his 
administration. 
 
5. (SBU) Diogo sits on the powerful 15-member Political 
Commission of the ruling party, FRELIMO. She is considered 
a sharp leader and tough manager, though press reports 
allege she was ineffective in curbing corruption within the 
Ministry of Planning and Finance during her tenure there. 
She is one of five female ministers appointed by President 
Guebuza. Diogo is a native of Tete province, born April 
11, 1958. Her husband, Albano Silva, is a prominent Maputo 
lawyer. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Alcinda de Abreu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and 
Cooperation 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
6. (U) Alcinda de Abreu becomes Mozambique's first female 
Minister of Foreign Affair and Cooperation, replacing 
Leonardo Santos Simao. 
 
7. (U) Abreu holds a degree in Pedagogy and Psychology from 
Maputo's Eduardo Mondlane University (1982) and the 
Pedagogical University (1990), as well as certificates from 
Oxford University (1991), the University College of London 
(1992), and the Medical School of Eduardo Mondlane 
University in Maputo. Abreu also holds a diploma in 
Development Management from Wits University in South 
Africa. 
 
8. (U) Abreu began her political career in 1977 as Deputy 
Secretary General of the National Youth Organization, and 
 
SIPDIS 
she was a member of parliament from 1977-1994. In 1989, 
she was elected to the 177-member FRELIMO Central 
Committee. In 1994, President Chissano appointed Abreu as 
Minister of Women and Coordination of Social Action, but 
she was relieved of her duties in April 1997 due to 
injuries suffered in a serious car accident, serving only 3 
years of the standard five-year term. She has not held a 
high-level position within the GRM since that time. 
 
9. (SBU) Abreu is regarded as an advocate of gender issues 
and has played an active role in various women advocacy 
groups, such as the NGO's MULEIDE (Women, Law and 
Development) and Gender Institute for Democracy, Leadership 
and Development (GEDLIDE). She is a member of the most 
powerful body of the ruling party, FRELIMO, the 15-member 
Political Commission. She was appointed head of the 
FRELIMO election campaign office in early 2003. Her 
efforts are viewed as having significantly contributed to 
FRELIMO's resounding victories in both the 2003 local 
elections and the December 2004 general elections. 
According to press reports, Abreu also sat on the board of 
SPI, a holding company that looks after FRELIMO party 
finances. She is reported to be in the good graces of 
FRELIMO hard-liners, and politically close to Guebuza. 
 
10. (U) Abreu is a widow. Her husband, Muradali Mamad 
Hussen, was the private secretary of former President 
Samora Machel. He died along with Machel in a 1986 plane 
crash in South Africa near the Mozambican border. Abreu 
was born in Sofala province in 1953. 
 
11. (U) In 1994, Abreu went to the United States as an 
International Visitor to participate in a program titled 
The Role of Women in U.S. Policy. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Tobias Joaquim Dai, Minister of Defense 
--------------------------------------- 
12. (U) Tobias Dai retains the post of Minister of Defense, 
to which he was appointed in January 2000 after Chissano's 
re-election in 1999. Dai and Isabel Kavandeka, Minister 
for Parliamentary Matters in the President's Office, are 
the only ministers in the new government who took part in 
FRELIMO's armed struggle for Mozambique's independence (as 
did President Guebuza). Following independence, Dai 
attended the Vestrel Military Academy in Moscow. Upon his 
return to Mozambique in 1978, he was appointed to various 
military positions within the GRM, including Deputy Chief 
of Staff, Army Commander and Secretary-General of the 
Ministry of Defense. 
 
13. (U) Dai, born in November 1950, is a currently serving 
as a general in the military reserve. Many observers 
believe his close relationship with President Guebuza 
(Guebuza's wife is Dai's sister) played a part in his 
staying on in the new administration, though it is clear 
that Dai and Guebuza share interests. Both are strong 
advocates for the Mozambican army's participation in 
peacekeeping efforts in Africa and around the world. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Jose Pacheco, Minister of Interior 
---------------------------------- 
14. (U) Jose Pacheco replaces Almerino Manhenje as Interior 
Minister. Immediately prior to his cabinet appointment 
Pacheco served as governor of the northern province of Cabo 
Delgado, where he won a reputation for integrity and 
dynamism. Pacheco is one of 7 governors Guebuza has chosen 
for ministerial positions, which is being interpreted as a 
sign of Guebuza's interest in addressing rural poverty by 
selecting officials who are familiar with the country 
outside Maputo. Pacheco completed a diploma in Agrarian 
Economy at Wye College (University of London) in the late 
1980's. In July 1990, Pacheco was appointed National 
Director for Rural Development in the Ministry of 
Agriculture. In his five years in the post, he headed 
transfer of technology programs in the rural sector and 
took part in drafting the Agricultural Research Plan. 
During that time he also studied rural extension policies 
at the University of Minnesota (1992) and University of 
Wisconsin (1994). In 1994, Pacheco was appointed 
Vice-Minister of Agriculture. Three years later, in 
September 1997, in addition to his duties as Vice-Minister 
he was appointed interim governor of Cabo Delgado, 
replacing Jorge Muanahumo, who was dismissed by President 
Chissano. President Chissano relieved Pacheco of his 
duties in the Agriculture Ministry following his formal 
appointment as governor of the province in March 1998. 
 
15. (U) During the 2000 FRELIMO party congress, Pacheco was 
elected to the 15-member FRELIMO Political Commission, the 
only provincial governor to hold a seat on the powerful 
party body. Pacheco was also one of four men under 
consideration by the FRELIMO Central Committee to stand as 
the party's presidential candidate in the 2004 general 
elections (the others were Guebuza, then-Agriculture 
Minister Helder Muteia and National Assembly President 
Eduardo Mulembwe). Pacheco was born on September 10, 1958 
in the central province of Sofala. 
 
16. (SBU) In July 2004, local police expelled 15 
missionaries (14 of whom were U.S. citizens) from Montepuez 
(a city in Cabo Delgado) on the charges that they were 
"RENAMO spies." Reports indicate that statements of this 
nature by Pacheco may have prompted the expulsion. In 
December 2004, Pacheco declined to meet with a visiting 
emboff. 
 
17. (U) Pacheco went to the United States, while serving as 
Governor of Cabo Delgado, under the International Visitor 
program (along with several other governors). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Antonio Fernando, Minister of Industry and Commerce 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
18. (SBU) Antonio Fernando replaces Carlos Morgado as 
Minister of Industry and Commerce. From 1994 until his 
appointment as Minister, Fernando served as the Vice 
Minister of Transportation and Communications. During his 
tenure, Fernando led GRM efforts to develop Mozambique's 
internet capabilities. An engineer by profession, Antonio 
Fernando received a degree in mechanical engineering from 
Maputo Eduardo Mondlane University in 1987, and obtained 
a certificate in the management of transport and road 
traffic from the Belgium Transportation International 
Training Institute. He also holds a certificate in 
transport, traffic and road security management awarded by 
the Swedish Road Administration. In 1998, he was nominated 
Deputy National Director of Road Transportation, and then 
shortly thereafter, Director of the National Institute of 
Traffic. In 1993, Fernando worked at the Technical 
Secretariat of Electoral Administration (STAE) as the 
 
SIPDIS 
Coordinator of the Organization and Operations Directorate, 
assuming the position of Chief of the Transport and 
Communications Department at STAE in 1994. 
 
19. (SBU) Antonio Fernando was born on March 15, 1963 in 
Boane, district of Morrumbene in Inhambane province. He 
lacks experience in trade policy and he is not considered a 
dynamic leader. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Paulo Ivo Garrido, Minister of Health 
------------------------------------- 
20. (U) Paulo Ivo Garrido replaces Francisco Songane as 
Minister of Health. Garrido is a medical doctor who has 
gained notoriety in both Mozambique and the southern Africa 
region for his work as a surgeon (he was president of the 
Southern Africa Association of Surgeons at one point). In 
1997, Garrido was named as the first rector of Mozambique's 
Higher Institute of Sciences and Technology. He served in 
this position until 2002. Prior to his cabinet 
appointment, Garrido split his time between the Maputo 
Central Hospital and Clinica 222, a private practice in 
which he is a part-owner. 
 
21. (SBU) Garrido has been described in the press as 
extremely competent, yet excessively harsh. Critics opine 
he will need to become more open and communicative if he is 
to succeed in his new post. Embassy contacts at the 
ministry indicate Garrido is expected to make significant 
personnel changes, especially at the director level. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Aiuba Cuereneia, Minister of Planning and Development 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
22. (U) Cuereneia attended primary school in Cuba, 
finishing high school in Mozambique. In 1992, he earned a 
degree in economics from Eduardo Mondlane University. From 
1991 to 1998, he served as the national coordinator for 
Mozambique's participation in the Community of 
Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP), and was a 
member of the technical team for the administration of the 
Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) from 1997 
to 2000. In 1991, working within the Ministry of State 
Administration, Cuereneia oversaw the creation of a human 
resource management system. He also coordinated various 
capacity building projects funded by the Swedish 
development agency, ASDI. In his capacity as Vice Minister 
of State Administration, which he assumed in early 2000, he 
was responsible for planning of all civil service human 
capacity development. 
 
23. (U) Cuereneia, a Muslim, was born in Nampula province 
in 1961. Cuereneia holds a seat on the 177-member FRELIMO 
Central Committee and serves as the party's Secretary for 
Administration and Finance. 
 
24. (SBU) The newly created Ministry of Planning and 
Development could emerge as one of the most important 
ministries, given the role it could serve in President 
Guebuza's fight against poverty - Guebuza's declared top 
priority. 
DUDLEY