Mozambique: Holland’s PM will prioritise water, farming cooperation

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Mozambique: Holland’s PM will prioritise water, farming cooperation

6:55 CAT | 20 Jan 2025

Primeiro-ministro-do-Reino-dos-Paises-Baixos-Dick-Schoof

File photo: AIM

The Dutch prime minister, Dick Schoof, told the new Mozambican president, Daniel Chapo, that water and agricultural projects would continue to be a priority in the European country’s support for Mozambique.

The position, published on Friday by Mozambique’s government, comes in a message of congratulations from the head of the Dutch government on the inauguration of Daniel Chapo as the fifth president of Mozambique, which took place on Wednesday in Maputo.

“The ties between Mozambique and the Netherlands are strong and comprehensive. Our collaboration on water and agriculture will undoubtedly be an important stepping stone in promoting sustainable development and, as such, remains at the top of our bilateral agenda. Furthermore, we look forward to celebrating 50 years of bilateral relations this year,” Dick Schoof’s message said.

He also emphasised that the Netherlands values the “constructive cooperation with Mozambique”, which will continue with the new government that has just begun, “for the benefit and prosperity of both peoples”.

Mozambique’s new president, Daniel Chapo, promised on Wednesday to launch a wide-ranging state reform that will reduce the number of ministries, create new entities, promote the digitalisation of public services, and fight corruption.

“Corruption is a disease that has eaten away at our people, with phantom civil servants, cartels that enrich themselves at the expense of the people, and this has to end; there will be no place for those who put their interests above the interests of the Mozambican people, whether in the public or private sector,” the president said in his inauguration speech in Maputo.

In his speech, which lasted almost 50 minutes, Daniel Chapo reviewed several changes that he promised to implement as the country’s leader, including reducing the number of ministries, valuing public services, transforming the education system, making civil servants more accountable, creating new entities to manage public administration and promising that, together, Mozambicans “will once again be proud to be Mozambicans”.

“We’re going to implement important changes to how the government works, putting the people at the centre of decisions,” he promised, exemplifying that reducing the size of the government, “with fewer ministries and the elimination of secretariats of state that are equivalent to ministries,” will allow savings of 17 billion meticais (more than €258 million) a year, “which will be directed to where it matters: education, health, agriculture, water, energy, roads, and improving the living conditions of the people.”

The elimination of the figure of the deputy minister and the reformulation of the positions of secretaries of state and permanent secretaries, as well as a review of the role of secretaries of state in the provinces, were other promises made by the new head of state, who also said he would review the perks of public officials and the state’s privatisation programme.

“These changes include freezing the acquisition of cars for the state so that we can acquire ambulances and other vehicles to serve the people, and these are concrete measures that show that the government is willing to tighten its belt and lead by example,” he added.

Source: Lusa