Improving access to justice in Northern Mozambique

With nearly 60% of the population living in remote areas and 81% (WB, 2025) below the poverty line, access to justice in Mozambique remains limited,  especially for marginalised groups. The judiciary system suffers from a critical  shortage of trained judges and prosecutors, inadequate infrastructure, outdated  paper-based procedures, and insufficient decentralisation of court services. Since  Mozambique's judicial reforms in 1978, efforts to modernise the courts and ensure equitable  access have been insufficient. The increasing complexity of legal cases in a country heavily affected by corruption and land conflicts requires specialisation within the judiciary, but this remains underdeveloped. 

Switzerland’s anti-corruption and land governance projects have yielded positive results, but the limited capacity of the judiciary system to resolve cases is compromising them. There is therefore a need to strengthen the institutions in  charge of delivering justice to maximise the impact of Switzerland’s governance interventions.  

Direct target groups: 
•  Supreme Court  
•  Judicial Courts of Niassa and Nampula Provinces and their staff
•  Community leaders and paralegals 

Indirect target groups / beneficiaries: 
Local communities 

Outcome 1: judicial courts are accessible and modernised. 

Outcome 2: judicial processes related to asset recovery and land dispute cases are fast-tracked. 

Outcome 3: citizens are sensitised to promote respect for the rule of law and enhance confidence in judicial courts. 

Resultados previstos:  

• Expanded court mediation services and reduced judicial costs. 

• Scaled up SEIJE system use. 

• Strengthened paralegals and community courts for local dispute resolution. 

• Trained  judges,  prosecutors,  and  staff on asset recovery, corruption, and  land cases. 

• Improved coordination among judicial, anti-corruption, law enforcement, and land authorities. 

Resultados de las fases anteriores:   N/A

Fase 1 01.12.2025 - 31.12.2027   (Active)