Mozambique: INGD claims working normally with World Bank

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Mozambique: INGD claims working normally with World Bank

8:34 CAT | 14 Feb 2023

Photo: O País

The chairperson of Mozambique’s relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD), Luisa Meque, has insisted that the World Bank is continuing to finance the day-to-day activities of the Institute, despite claims that the World Bank had cut off its support.

Speaking at a Saturday press conference in Maputo, Meque admitted that she had received a notification from the World Bank “due to the way in which we were working”, but she alleged this was merely “technical matters”.

In fact, according to a detailed report last year in the independent newsletter “Carta de Mocambique”, the World Bank suspended its support for the Disaster Management Fund (FGC), which is operated by the INGD, after discovering that over 32.5 million meticais (about 508,000 US dollars, at the current exchange rate) had been diverted from the fund for improper purposes in 2020.

The World Bank informed the Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, of the suspension in August, warning him that the Bank would not resume its support until all the missing money is returned to the FGC.

READ: Mozambique: World Bank cuts support to Disaster Management Fund

The Bank’s letter to Tonela said that the FGC spent money on items that are not eligible for support from the fund. These included more than 18 million meticais spent on purchasing vehicles, 13 million on water and sanitation infrastructures, and 1.5 million on building a bridge over the Muecate river in Nampula province.

But the ministerial diploma approving the manual of administrative procedures for the FGC states that its funds cannot be used to buy vehicles or to finance public building works.

Source: AIM