Mozambique: Almost €15M to finance youth initiatives

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Mozambique: Almost €15M to finance youth initiatives

8:10 CAT | 24 Feb 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Luciano da Conceição / DW]

Mozambique’s government announced the allocation of around €15 million on Friday to the Fund for the Financing of Local Economic Development (FDEL), created for national youth initiatives.

“For this initial phase, one billion meticais (€14.9 million) are available to start implementing this government measure,” announced government spokesman Inocêncio Impissa today at a press conference to take stock of the its activities in its first 100 days in power.

He said the amount would be allocated to all the country’s districts, and the Administrative Court and the General Inspectorate of Finance would conduct an inspection and audit.

Mozambique’s government approved the creation of the Fund for Financing Local Economic Development (FDEL) on Tuesday.

The cabinet spokesman said, after the announcement of the creation, that the fund “has the nature of a dedicated bank account, integrated into the public treasury”, and “aims to boost entrepreneurship and local economic development in the fields of production, income generation and job creation, with a particular focus on young people”.

This month, Mozambique’s government approved a plan with 77 measures to be implemented in the first 100 days of governance for the 2025-2029 five-year period, “with a direct impact on the well-being of the population.”

“This plan aims to establish solid foundations for implementing a national agenda that promotes stability and economic, social and political development,” reads the document, consulted by Lusa.

The plan presents short-term actions “with impactful results” in social and political stability, education, health, the fight against corruption, employment and youth, infrastructure and public services, justice, agriculture and food security, economic growth and resource mobilisation, and natural resource management.

This agenda comes at a time of successive demonstrations and stoppages in the country, in which, as well as contesting the results of the general elections on 9 October, Mozambicans are complaining, among other things, about the high cost of living and the lack of jobs.

Since 21 October, at least 327 people have died, including around two dozen minors, and around 750 have been shot during the post-election protests, according to the Decide electoral platform, a non-governmental organisation that monitors the electoral processes.

The demonstrations and stoppages were initially called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognise the results.

The protests are now mainly organised by young people who question the 50 years of rule by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo). In addition to the argument of electoral truth, they are motivated by unemployment and poor schooling, which affect a third of the 32 million Mozambicans, or 9.4 million young people.

Source: Lusa