Rádio Moçambique (RM) is Mozambique’s national public radio broadcaster and the only station with truly nationwide reach. Founded shortly after independence in 1975, RM has grown into the country’s most popular radio service, serving as a primary source of information for millions, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.
Media assets
Radio: National Antenna, Maputo City Radio, Radio Maputo Corridor, EP Maputo, EP Gaza, EP Inhambane, EP Manica, EP Sofala, Radio City Beira, EP Tete, EP Zambezia, EP Nampula, EP Cabo Delgado, EP Niassa
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
RM was formally established as a public media enterprise by Decree 18/1994. Governance is vested in a Council of Administration composed of five members. The Chair of the Council, who plays a central role in shaping the broadcaster’s strategic and editorial direction, is appointed by the Council of Ministers. The remaining members are nominated by various state institutions: two by the Ministry of Communications, one by the Ministry of Finance, and one by the staff of Rádio Moçambique itself.
This structure places the station firmly under government influence, with the executive wielding significant control over senior appointments and operational oversight. Although the inclusion of an employee representative theoretically introduces internal input, its weight within the broader council remains marginal.
Source of funding and budget
RM is heavily reliant on state subsidies, which consistently account for the lion’s share of its budget. According to independent media analysts and internal assessments, public funding typically makes up around 80% of RM’s annual income, with the remainder drawn from advertising revenue and household broadcasting fees.
The most recent data, from a 2023 financial report by IGEPE (Instituto de Gestão das Participações do Estado), showed that RM had a total income of MZN 972 million (approx. US$ 15 million). Of this, only 11% came from commercial sales, while 46% was sourced directly from state subsidies. The remaining balance was made up of license fees, collected through the national electricity provider as a bundled household charge. In 2015, by comparison, the station had received MZN 434.6 million (US$ 10.7 million) from the state budget—highlighting a substantial increase in public support over the past decade.
However, no detailed financial disclosures on expenditures, deficits, or profit/loss performance have been published in recent years. RM’s continued opacity regarding its financial management has raised concerns about accountability and efficiency within the broader framework of Mozambique’s state-owned enterprises.
Reports from March 2025 indicate that RM employees are embroiled in uncertainty due to delays in the implementation of the Single Salary Table (TSU), which has impacted pay and benefits.
Editorial independence
Although Rádio Moçambique has long positioned itself as a platform for public discourse and political debate, its editorial independence remains questionable. Despite Decree 18/94 formally obliging public media to operate “free from any interference or influence that might compromise their autonomy,” RM is frequently perceived as biased in favor of the government.
An independent evaluation from 2015 concluded that RM disproportionately favored ruling party perspectives—a trend that, according to local journalists and observers interviewed in 2024 and early 2025, has not significantly changed. Editorial staff are often said to self-censor, particularly during electoral cycles or moments of political sensitivity.
Although RM features open phone-in shows and current affairs programming that allows for critical voices, its core editorial line largely aligns with government messaging. No updated editorial statute explicitly guarantees independence, and no independent oversight mechanism exists to validate compliance with journalistic standards or safeguard against political influence.
June 2025