Mozambique: Ferrao Leaves Government, Becomes Vice-Chancellor

President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday relieved Education Minister Jorge Ferrao of his duties, and immediately appointed him Vice-Chancellor of the country’s largest university, the Pedagogic University (UP).

The main task of this university is to provide degree level training for teachers. It has around 52,000 students studying at its main campus in Maputo, and in its ten provincial delegations.

Ferrao replaces Rogerio Uthui, who had completed his second five year term as Vice-Chancellor. The appointment was something of a surprise since Ferrao’s name was not among those proposed to Nyusi by the UP University Council.

Ferrao has prior experience in running a university. He was the first Vice-Chancellor of Lurio University, in the northern city of Nampula, which was set up in 2006, and he was working there when Nyusi appointed him Education Minister in January 2015.

Also on Thursday, Nyusi reappointed Orlando Quilambo as the Vice-Chancellor of the country’s oldest institution of higher education, the Eduardo Mondlane University. In this case, Nyusi accepted the advice of the University Council.

When the Council took its decision, Quilambo received 16 votes, and his two rivals, Louis Pelembe and Betencourt Capece, only picked up three votes between them.

Quilambo has been Vice-Chancellor since May 2010, and in the five preceding years he held the post of Deputy Vice-Chancellor for the academic area.