Mozambique: President positions the “right pieces” to face government challenges – Lusa

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Mozambique: President positions the “right pieces” to face government challenges – Lusa

1:27 CAT | 04 Mar 2022

Photo: O País

President Filipe Nyusi said today that the latest reshuffle of government ministers will serve to place the “right pieces” to address the “challenges” facing the country.

Nyusi was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the new Prime Minister, Adriano Maleiane, and six other government officials, in what he calls “a delicate moment of governance, in which the country faces numerous challenges”.

“On the one hand, there is the drama of terrorism in Cabo Delgado and the bad weather throughout the country. On the other hand, we are faced with the difficult political situation that the world is going through, with repercussions internally,” – an allusion to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which is driving up the price of various raw materials.

The situation “demands from the government energetic and coordinated actions, aiming to protect the living conditions of Mozambicans”, he said.

“It is in this context that we found ourselves in the contingency of strengthening our team, placing the right pieces to face the challenges” in a “more dynamic, proactive and results-oriented” way, the presider explained.

The head of state also compared the change to a football game, repeating what he told a young man who asked him on Thursday about the shake-up in the Frelimo government.

“We were defending well enough to manage the result, but I want to win the game, so I will increase the offensive flow,” he said.

In a presidential regime such as that of Mozambique, Nyusi asked new prime minister Adriano Maleiane – he had been minister of Economy and Finance since 2015 – to “coordinate government action” so that each ministry “fulfils its competences”.

“In my absence, you are the visible face of my government,” Nyusi said, adding that he believed that Maleiane would be “up to” the challenges, as well as “facilitating communication within the government and with partners”.

The head of state asked the new Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela (who was until now Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy), to increase exports across all sectors, stressing that Mozambique has “a lot” to offer besides gas, in an allusion to the country’s production potential and the need to diversify the economy.

Referring to Tonela’s curriculum vitae, Nyusi highlighted what he called successful experiences in the management of Mozambique Electricity (EDM) and Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric (HCB), while also calling for the promotion of the local content law and of a more competitive business environment.

Despite the fact that the exploration of natural gas, which starts this year in the Rovuma basin (off Cabo Delgado) is the most publicised attraction on the economic and financial horizon, the Mozambican president highlighted other goals.

Addressing Carlos Zacarias, the new Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy (previously president of the National Petroleum Institute), Nyusi devoted much of the message to the need to achieve universal access to electricity.

Also in this area, and at a time when the sale of coal mines in Tete, in the interior of the country, from Brazil’s Vale to India’s Vulcan, is underway, Nyusi said that the changes taking place there must not harm Mozambicans.

Addressing the new Minister of Public Works, Carlos Mesquita, the head of state highlighted the need to refurbish the country’s main road, the EN1, which crosses Mozambique from north to south.

Also sworn in were Silvino Moreno as Minister of Industry and Commerce, Lídia Cardoso as the new Minister of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries and Amílcar Tivane as Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance.

Source: Lusa