Mozambique’s new President Filipe Nyusi on Saturday named Carlos do Rosário as Prime Minister, to lead a government of 22 ministers, down from 28 previously.

Mr Rosário was Mozambique’s Ambassador to India for many years, and has also been the African nation’s accredited representative to Indonesia, Thailand and several other Asian countries.

He was Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries under President Joaquim Chissano in the late 1990s, and has also held the post of Governor of the central province of Zambézia.

Consistent with his promise to slim down the government in order to cut costs, Mr Nyusi has merged several ministries, and reduced the number of ministers and deputy ministers.

The Ministry of Finance and that of Planning and Development were merged into the Ministry of Economy and Finance under Adriano Maleiane, according to an official statement.

Mr Maleiane is Chairman of state investment bank Banco Nacional de Investimentos, and also served as Governor of the central bank for 15 years to 2006.

The Ministries of Energy and Mineral Resources have been merged under the leadership of Pedro Couto, Deputy Minister of Finance in the previous Government.

Ernesto Tonela was named Minister of Industry and Trade. Mr Tonela was financial director of Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa, the company that operates the Cahora Bassa Dam on the Zambezi River.

Oldemiro Balói remains as Foreign Minister. But Mr Nyusi appointed a new Deputy Foreign Minister, Nyeleti Mondlane, the daughter of Eduardo Mondlane, the founder and first President of the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, known as Frelimo.