New Prime Minister and Government

Aires Ali was this morning dismissed as Prime Minister and replaced by Alberto Vaquina, who had been elected to the Frelimo Political Commission at the recent Congress in Pemba. Vaquina had been governor of Tete. Vaquina is a doctor trained in Portugal, specialising in tropical medicine. He was provincial director of health in Cabo Delgado, then governor of Sofala, until being appointed governor of Tete in 2010.

Carvalho Muaria is named Minister of Tourism. He was the Sofala provincial governor also elected to the Political Commission. Fernando Sumbana Júnior moves from Minister of Tourism to Minister of Youth and Sport, replacing Pedrito Caetano who is dismissed.

Education Vice Minister Augusto Jone is promoted to Minister, replacing Zeferino Martins who is dismissed. Venâncio Massinga is dismissed as Minister of Science and Technology. He is replaced by Louis Augusto Mutomene Pelembe, a food scientist and professor at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. He was one of three candidates to be rector of UEM in 2011. His 2002 University of Pretoria PhD thesis, "Pearl millet malting: factors affecting product quality" is available on http://www.saber.ac.mz/bitstream/10857/3081/1/Agrop-035.pdf.

Itai Meque is dismissed as governor of Zambézia and replaced by Joaquim Veríssimo. Felismino Tocoli is dismissed as governor of Nampula and replaced by a member of parliament, Cidalia Manuel Chaúque.

The other two new governors are Ratxide Abdala Ackyiamungo Gogo in Tete and Felix Paulo in Sofala. (Joe Hanlon)