Working Remotely: Maputo, Mozambique

A short recap of my last few days working remotely from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique

Ever since the first time I spent a few weeks travelling the remote backroads and palm-fringed coastal areas of Gaza and Inhambane province Mozambique was high up there in my list. Is it the endlessly friendly and joyful locals? Or is it the pristine beaches that feel so much more amazing after travelling dusty inland roads for days? It is, of course, a bit of both and after all Mozambique is a truly African place with its own culture, music and cuisine.

While still facing major social and economic problems that leave vast parts of the country without even the most basic human needs (forgive me for trying to wrap this up in just a sentence, but there are much more qualified people to provide better insights - the Wikipedia article about its economy is a good place to start), you cannot help but notice the spirit of optimism among the young Mozambican population.

With its ideal location close to Mozambique’s biggest trade partner South Africa and being only a 5 hour drive away from Johannesburg, Maputo, the capital, is probably one of Southern Africa’s most overlooked cities. As I was working from Durban – which also has some great places to work from (check out Open Plan Studio) – and I had Mozambican friends asking to visit them in Maputo, I decided to go on a little working adventure. A quick check online revealved that Maputo did in fact have a bunch of coworking spaces that would offer an environment to get some work done amidst the buzz of an African city. The following is a brief summary of how it worked out in the end.