Security-development nexus: A strategic imperative for Tanzania, Mozambique

MOZAMBIQUE: FOR many years, security and development have been treated as two separate policy areas. Security has traditionally been associated with the military, police, border management and other security institutions, while development has been associated with roads, schools, hospitals, investment, trade and employment.

Today, however, that distinction is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Security enables development, while inclusive development can strengthen security and social resilience. This relationship is commonly described as the Security-Development Nexus.

The concept is particularly relevant to Tanzania and Mozambique, given their shared border, historical ties, close people-to-people relations and growing economic interests in trade, energy, transport and regional connectivity.

The situation in northern Mozambique, particularly Cabo Delgado, provides an important context in which this relationship can be understood.

Security as a foundation for development

Where insecurity persists, development is inevitably affected. Conflict and instability can disrupt trade, discourage investment, damage infrastructure, interrupt the delivery of public services and force communities to abandon their homes and livelihoods.

Cabo Delgado illustrates this reality. Years of insecurity have affected communities and economic activity, creating challenges that extend beyond the immediate security environment.

For Tanzania, the consequences cannot be viewed in isolation. Cabo Delgado shares a border with Tanzania, and communities on both sides of the Ruvuma River have longstanding social, cultural and economic connections.

This means that stability in northern Mozambique is not only a Mozambican concern. It has implications for Tanzania and the wider southern African region.

Security measures are therefore necessary to protect communities, maintain territorial integrity and create conditions in which normal economic and social life can resume. However, security operations alone cannot address all the factors that influence longterm stability.

Development as part of the security equation

The other side of the nexus is equally important: development itself can contribute to security.

Access to education, healthcare, employment, markets, infrastructure and economic opportunities can strengthen communities and enhance their resilience.

This is particularly important for young people. Where young people can see realistic opportunities to earn a livelihood, acquire skills and participate meaningfully in the economy, the social foundations of stability are strengthened.

This does not mean that poverty or unemployment automatically cause insecurity. Rather, it recognises that inclusive development can reduce vulnerabilities and create stronger relationships between communities, institutions and the state.

For this reason, development should not necessarily wait until every security challenge has been completely resolved. Where conditions permit, development and recovery should progress alongside efforts to strengthen security.

The Tanzania-Mozambique border should not be viewed simply as a line separating two countries. For generations, communities on both sides of the Ruvuma River have shared family ties, languages, cultural traditions, markets and social relationships. The Makonde and Makua communities, among others, demonstrate the depth of these historical connections.

A secure border is important. But a secure border should also facilitate legitimate movement, trade and interaction. This is where border development becomes part of the security agenda.

An efficient border crossing can facilitate legitimate commerce, while stronger border management can help address smuggling, trafficking and other forms of cross-border crime. These objectives are not contradictory. A border can be open to legitimate economic activity while remaining firm against illicit activities.

The proposed One Stop Border Post at Mtambaswala-Negomano is therefore potentially more than an infrastructure project. Properly implemented, it could facilitate the movement of people and goods, reduce unnecessary delays, stimulate border economies and strengthen coordinated border management.

Building a Mtwara-Ruvuma-Cabo Delgado economic and security corridor

There is a strong case for viewing Mtwara, Ruvuma and Cabo Delgado as part of a wider interconnected economic and social space.

Such an approach would encourage cooperation in transport, trade, agriculture, fisheries, energy, tourism, health, education and youth employment, while maintaining effective security and border management.

The logic is straightforward.

Infrastructure enables connectivity. Connectivity facilitates trade. Trade creates economic opportunities. Economic opportunities strengthen livelihoods. Stronger livelihoods contribute to resilient communities and resilient communities are better positioned to withstand social and security pressures.

This is the security-development nexus in practical terms. Mtwara has the potential to serve as an important gateway linking southern Tanzania with northern Mozambique, while Cabo Delgado possesses significant economic potential, including natural gas and other resources.

Realising this potential, however, requires more than investment. It requires a stable environment, reliable infrastructure, effective institutions and meaningful participation by local communities.

Natural resources and inclusive development

The natural gas resources of the Rovuma Basin have placed northern Mozambique firmly on the international investment map. For Tanzania, developments in the region also have strategic relevance because of geographical proximity and Tanzania’s interests in the wider energy economy.

The central question should therefore not only be how natural resources are protected, but also how they can contribute to broader development.

Large-scale investments can have a greater long-term impact when they create opportunities for local businesses, skills development, employment, infrastructure and social services.

In other words, resource security should go hand in hand with resource-based development.

When communities see tangible benefits from economic activity in their areas, confidence in development processes can be strengthened.

Health, education and youth: The human dimension of security

Security should not be understood only in terms of soldiers, police officers, borders and intelligence.

A functioning hospital, a good school, vocational training and opportunities for young people are also components of a secure and resilient society.

Tanzania’s initiative to support healthcare delivery in northern Mozambique through medical professionals, including the involvement of Benjamin William Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma, provides an example of how humanitarian cooperation can complement broader diplomatic and development objectives.

There is considerable scope for Tanzania and Mozambique to explore further cooperation in health, education, vocational training, agriculture, fisheries, youth development and entrepreneurship, particularly in communities along the border.

Such initiatives can strengthen not only bilateral relations but also the human foundations of regional stability.

From security first to security and development together The experience of Tanzania and Mozambique suggests that the question should not be whether security or development comes first.

The more useful question is how the two can reinforce each other.

Security institutions have the responsibility to protect people and territory. Development institutions have the responsibility to expand infrastructure, services and economic opportunities. The private sector creates investment and employment, while communities are essential partners in shaping sustainable development.

The objective should, therefore, be coordination rather than institutional overlap. A road is an economic asset, but it also improves access for emergency services and strengthens connectivity while a hospital is a health facility, but it can also build trust between communities and institutions.

A border post facilitates trade, but it can also strengthen immigration, customs and security cooperation and a port supports commerce, but it also contributes to regional connectivity and economic resilience.

This is why security and development should be viewed as mutually reinforcing rather than competing priorities.

For Tanzania, the SecurityDevelopment Nexus provides an opportunity to connect diplomacy, regional security and economic diplomacy.

Tanzania can continue to contribute through stronger border cooperation, support for legitimate cross-border trade, investment in borderregion development, peopleto-people relations and cooperation in health, education, agriculture, energy and youth development.

At the regional level, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) provides an important framework for linking peace and security with regional economic integration and development.

The relationship between Tanzania and Mozambique has a particularly strong foundation. The two countries share a history of solidarity dating back to the liberation struggle. The opportunity before them today is to translate that historical solidarity into a broader partnership centred on peace, connectivity, trade, investment and shared prosperity.

Towards a shared securitydevelopment vision

The next phase of TanzaniaMozambique relations could benefit from a more integrated approach to the Mtwara-Ruvuma-Cabo Delgado space.

This does not necessarily require the creation of a new institution. It requires better coordination of existing initiatives and a common understanding that security, infrastructure, trade, energy, health, agriculture, youth and community relations are interconnected.

The objective should be to create a corridor where security enables economic activity, economic activity creates opportunities and development strengthens social resilience.

Such an approach would also give practical meaning to the long-standing principle of people-centred regional cooperation.

The Security-Development Nexus is not merely an academic concept. For Tanzania and Mozambique, it reflects realities experienced by communities along their shared border.

Northern Mozambique demonstrates that insecurity can undermine development. At the same time, inclusive development, economic opportunity and accessible public services can strengthen community resilience.

The strategic opportunity, therefore, is to move beyond the idea that security must be achieved first and development can follow later.

A more sustainable approach is to pursue both together security that enables development and development that strengthens security.

For Tanzania and Mozambique, this approach offers an opportunity to transform their shared border from a line of separation into a corridor of peace, connectivity, trade and shared prosperity.