Crime Surge in Angola and Mozambique Drives Up Costs for Portuguese Abroad

Mozambique and Angola, the two largest Portuguese-speaking nations south of the Sahara, have unexpectedly topped the newest review of continental criminality, ringing alarm bells for the broader Lusophone community. A benchmark study released this week—compiled by international analysts who track drug routes, wildlife trafficking and financial fraud—places both countries in the same risk band as Nigeria and South Africa. For Portuguese citizens with business, family or cultural ties in the region, the findings help explain why insurance premiums are rising, why project timelines keep slipping and why consular hotlines never seem to cool down.

A closer reading of the data

The publication, known widely as the Global Organized Crime Index, assigns scores from 1 to 10 on two axes: criminal markets and state resilience. Angola earns 6.7 on illicit activity—thanks largely to entrenched smuggling rings in its oil-rich provinces—while mustering only 3.5 for its capacity to fight back. Mozambique’s gap is even starker: a 6.6 criminality rating contrasted with a resilience score under 3. These metrics are built from hundreds of field interviews, satellite-tracked shipment logs and judicial statistics, lending the report unusual depth compared with earlier continental surveys.

Why it matters in Portugal

More than 58,000 Portuguese nationals either live or work in the two countries, according to the latest SEF migration figures, and the value of bilateral trade now hovers near €1.4 B a year. That exposure makes any deterioration in public safety a direct economic threat. Insurers in Lisbon say premiums for Angola-bound construction equipment have climbed by nearly 30 % since July, while a consortium tasked with modernising the Beira Corridor railway in Mozambique has delayed its next funding tranche until early 2026, citing kidnapping risks along the line. Portuguese small-caps active in hospitality report a quieter but constant issue: skilled staff refusing expatriate posts after seeing viral videos of roadside ambushes.

Lusophone diplomacy on the defensive

Inside the CPLP headquarters in Marquês de Pombal Square, officials concede that the bloc’s flagship security mechanism—the Maputo-based Anti-Transnational Crime Observatory—remains underfunded. A proposal led by Cape Verde would double its budget to $5 M annually and create a dedicated cyber-forensics unit, but Angola has so far resisted, arguing that economic diversification outranks new policing structures. Lisbon has taken a more forward-leaning stance: Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel hinted on Tuesday that Portugal might earmark part of its forthcoming EU-supported Africa Facility for training Mozambican border agents if Maputo agrees to clear human-rights vetting procedures.

Business, diaspora and the road ahead

For now, legal advisers counsel Portuguese companies to embed stronger due-diligence protocols, especially on supply chains intersecting with the Cabo Delgado gas fields or Luanda’s diamond corridors. The diaspora is being told to register promptly with consulates and to update travel plans through the new online APP Segura portal; uptake has doubled since the platform quietly launched in September. A more permanent fix, analysts note, will hinge on how swiftly both governments can channel mounting revenue from hydrocarbons and critical minerals into credible policing. Until that happens, Mozambicans and Angolans—and the Portuguese who partner with them—will be navigating an environment where opportunity and danger sit uncomfortably close.