About the Council
The National Apiculture Association Council of Mozambique, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Council’, is the principal representative body for all people, companies and associations involved in the many aspects of apiculture in Mozambique. Membership is open to individual beekeepers, associations and co-operatives of beekeepers, equipment suppliers, honey and bee products companies, trainers and consultants, and researchers.
The Council also welcomes as Associate Members any individual, company, or organization, that is interested in supporting and learning about apiculture in Mozambique, or that is connected indirectly with one or more aspect of apiculture.
The Council’s vision is that Mozambique will become one of the largest sources of high-quality honey in Africa, giving a livelihood to tens of thousands of people, and making a vital contribution to conserving Mozambique’s biodiversity.
The Council’s mission is to promote the development of a strong, inclusive, and sustainable apiculture industry in Mozambique.
The Council represents the interests of all of its members in pursuing this mission, and seeks to collaborate with the Government of Mozambique, with which it shares common cause in seeking to build a growing and successful apiculture industry. The Council offers services to members, and seeks opportunities for members to participate in training, events and promotional actions.
Finally established in 2023, the Council has been long in gestation! A first attempt to launch a National Honey Council was made in 2011, but the industry was too small and dispersed to gain momentum. In 2021, with support from German Development Agency, GIZ, and facilitated by Mozambican NGO, the Micaia Foundation, a fresh start was made. Proving too complicated to revive the 2011 institution, a process was put in place to consult widely about setting up a new Council. The process involved online and in-person consultations across the country, with more than 100 people participating. Working groups of some of the most experienced apiculture professionals in the country, used feedback from consultations to develop criteria for membership and representation. Lawyers were hired to prepare statutes. The legal processes took time, but with enthusiastic support from the Government of Mozambique, the registration requirements were navigated and the Council was finally registered.
Purpose and Objectives
Purpose
- To promote the development of the robust, progressive, inclusive and sustainable apiculture sector in Mozambique;
- To promote the interests of individual or collective persons, associations, cooperatives, micro, small and medium enterprises, involved in all the value chains of the apiculture sector, in the production, processing, packaging and commercialization of honey and other bee products.
- To collaborate with the Government and other national or foreign entities for the development of the beekeeping sector in Mozambique.
Specific objectives
- To promote the Mozambican apicultural sector at a national and international level;
- To promote the development of the beekeeping sector in Mozambique that is based on knowledge that derives from scientific and applied research
- To promote the development of quality standards for the beekeeping sector in Mozambique that are adapted to the specifications of each region of the country
- To promote the creation of regulations that guarantee the observation of quality standards by all stakeholders in the Mozambican apiculture sector
- To promote actions that facilitate the technical and institutional strengthening of all stakeholders in the apicultural sector in Mozambique
- To promote improvements in the quality levels of honey production
- To promote increasing consumption of Mozambican honey and beekeeping products throughout the country through promotion and price regulation campaigns, and to promote their placement in lucrative international markets
- To promote the representation of all stakeholders of the Mozambican apicultural sector in negotiations with the government to establish an enabling environment for its sustainable and inclusive development within and outside the country
- To serve as a forum for discussions between entities and individuals interested in the development of the national apiculture sector, including government, producers, processors, packers, traders, donors, investors, academics and researchers to ensure the development of a vibrant apiculture sector incorporating modern knowledge adapted to the socio-economic and environmental reality of the country.
How is the Council governed?
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the meeting of all fully paid-up Members of the Council, and it is the ultimate decision-making body of the Council. The General Assembly is responsible for deliberating on all matters concerning the Council including
- Approving the Statutes, the programmes, and the internal regulations of the Council.
- Electing the members of the Board of Directors and the Fiscal Council.
- Approving the Council’s annual plan and budget.
- Approving the report, balance sheet and accounts of the Council, as well as any acts, works and proposals which are submitted to it.
- Setting the fees and dues of the members of the Council.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors governs the operations of the Council, ensuring that it is managed effectively and that it pursues the objectives and plans approved by the General Assembly. The Board of Directors is elected from the membership. Any fully paid-up Member is eligible to stand for election, but the Statutes require that there are representatives from each region – North (Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Zambezia, and Nampula provinces), Centre (Tete, Sofala, Manica, Inhambane provinces), and South (Gaza and Maputo provinces). Guidance is provided in by-laws of the Council to manage nominations and elections of regional candidates for election to the Board.The Board of Directors’ responsibilities include:
- Oversight and support of the Executive Secretary .
- Preparing proposals, resolutions and other matters for deliberation to the General Assembly .
- Establishing and overseeing working groups, commissions, or other processes to support the pursuit of the Council’s objectives and plans .
- Hiring and/or dismissing employees, fixing and assigning their respective remunerations.
- Organizing the accounting and the report of all the activities of the Council, and presenting the annual report and accounts to the General Assembly .
Fiscal Council’s
The Fiscal Council’s general responsibility is to ensure the financial probity and stability of the Council and to certify that funds are used in delivering plans approved by the General Assembly. The Council (4 members) is elected by members in a General Assembly.
The Fiscal Council’s specific responsibilities include:
- Receiving and reviewing reports presented by the Board of Directors for later submission to the General Assembly.
- Receiving and reviewing draft budgets and providing commentary and advice to the Board of Directors.
- Ensuring compliance with legal and statutory provisions and the decisions taken by the governing bodies.
- Monitoring and supporting financial management within the Secretariat.
Establishing the Council
In 2021, recognising the potential of the honey sector but also its current challenges, Micaia Foundation – long involved in supporting smallholder engagement in beekeeping – approached GIZ with a proposal to engage stakeholders across Mozambique to address issues of quality and standards (in beekeeping, honey production, and marketing); of domestic and international market development; and of coordination within the sector and with the Government. GIZ agreed to support this work and a project was funded that ran till August 2023.
Mozambique did not have a functioning beekeeper or honey/beekeeping industry association. In 2011, the National Honey Council was established by a group of stakeholders, but for various reasons, the Council never got beyond registration. With far more companies, associations and individuals now active in apiculture, there was a determination to re-launch the Council.
The process of establishing the Council included
During the consultation process, face-to-face meetings were held in 7 Provinces, and 63 people attended, including commercial producers, beekeeper associations, support organizations (INGOs, NGOs, donors, etc.), input suppliers, and individuals (producing honey for their own consumption, producing to benefit from or to provide pollination services, traders (buyers and sellers of honey and by-products), etc.). Online and telephone surveys were conducted.
There was widespread consensus about the need for the Council, about its core purpose and priorities, and about membership categories. There was clear support for ensuring a balance of representation from the different regions of Mozambique.
Following the consultation exercises, working groups consisting of volunteers involved in apiculture, met to support the drafting by legal experts of the statutes.
Our Values
Democracy, equality and gender equity
Much of the Council’s information is available on this site or for download. Please keep checking back for new posts, and additions to the Resources section.
The Secretariat is available to try and answer specific questions or to signpost you to other sources of information.
Specific services will be delivered by members of the Council with support and coordination from the Council Secretariat. The advantages of contracting the Council are:
– Preferential rates (agreed with Members in return for the Council marketing their services)
– Efficiency (especially if more than one consultant is involved)
– Quality assurance
– Perspective (we have a national scope and experience)
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