Nyusi calls on rich countries to consider debt relief – AIM report

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Nyusi calls on rich countries to consider debt relief – AIM report

6:10 CAT | 21 Feb 2022

Photo: TVM

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has urged developed countries to consider full debt relief for African countries, which have been severely affected by the crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report in Friday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”.

Addressing the participants at a health forum, held on the sidelines of the 11th EU-Africa summit on Thursday in Brussels, Nyusi said that the Covid-19 pandemic has weakened African countries and the health sector has been the most affected.

As the forum served for an exchange of experience between Europe and Africa, on health issues, Nyusi pointed out to what he called “health diplomacy” that has enabled Mozambique to ensure health care for the great majority of the citizens.

“We managed to reduce infant mortality, and to reduce deaths caused by breast and prostate cancer, as well as by tuberculosis. Now, we want to strengthen capacity building to answer the sector’s outstanding challenges,” Nyusi indicated.

Mozambique has a Covid-19 vaccination rollout programme, Nyusi added, which has enabled the country to vaccinate over 30 per cent of the 30 million Mozambicans (and about 68 per cent of all those aged 18 and above). Soon, the country will vaccinate children aged over 15 years, thanks to the solidarity demonstrated by the other countries.

He also spoke about the government initiative “One district, One hospital” and water expansion to the rural areas, in a bid to improve health conditions for the population. The country is engaged in a relentless offensive intended to find partners who can contribute to improving the health care in rural areas, Nyusi declared

In his intervention focused on the topic “New era in EU-Africa relations, through health diplomacy”, Nyusi acknowledged that there has been a growing proximity between the two blocks, since the first summit held in Cairo, in 2000, but the partnership must leap from mere rhetoric into action, based on mutual respect.

Nyusi said that Africa is no longer the continent the others talk about, but the continent they talk with, and what happens in Africa is important to Europe, while what happens in Europe is also important to Africa.

Source: AIM