Strengthening aquaculture and food safety also depends on the capacity of national laboratories. For this reason, MAMAP supported a diagnostic assessment of laboratory capacities related to food safety, animal-origin products, terrestrial animal diseases and aquatic animal diseases.
The exercise addressed a key question: what capacities already exist in the country, and what gaps must be addressed for Mozambique to have a stronger, more credible laboratory system capable of supporting official controls, sanitary surveillance and access to demanding markets?
The diagnostic covered public, academic and private laboratories and reviewed areas such as institutional mandates, accreditation, infrastructure, equipment, analytical capacity, human resources, quality-management systems, digitalisation, traceability and emergency response capacity. The findings showed that Mozambique has an important technical base, but also structural challenges that limit laboratory performance in critical areas.
Key gaps include the territorial concentration of laboratories, the absence of a formal national laboratory network, infrastructure rehabilitation needs, insufficient equipment, limited reagents and consumables, incomplete digital laboratory systems and shortages of specialised skills in areas such as toxicology, immunology, parasitology and aquatic animal health.
The assessment also highlighted a particularly important gap for aquaculture growth: limited national capacity to diagnose diseases affecting fish, molluscs and other aquatic organisms. This capacity is essential to prevent losses, respond quickly to outbreaks and comply with the requirements of more demanding markets.
The recommendations point to the creation of a national laboratory network, expansion of accreditation, infrastructure modernisation, investment in equipment, continuous technical training and stronger institutional coordination. This is a strategic pathway to protect public health, support producers and strengthen sector competitiveness.
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