Mozambique’s main challenges: Poverty and inequalities – AfDB

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Mozambique’s main challenges: Poverty and inequalities – AfDB

2:39 CAT | 19 May 2022

File photo: Lusa

The African Development Bank (AfDB) maintained on Tuesday (17-05) that “poverty and widespread inequalities” are Mozambique’s main challenge, emphasising that development required structural transformation.

“Generalised poverty and inequality, especially in rural areas, where the majority of the population lives, are Mozambique’s main development challenge,” said AfDB representative in Mozambique, César Augusto Mba Abogo.

Abogo was speaking during an assessment meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) strategy for Mozambique for the 2018-2022 period.

In this sense, he continued, the country must promote and accelerate the structural transformation of the economy aimed at creating jobs to reduce poverty and inequality in an effective and sustainable way.

The AfDB representative said that cooperation with Mozambique over the last four years, “has been anchored” in the pillars of infrastructure development to allow for transformative and inclusive growth, as well as job creation.

The focus had also included support for agricultural transformation and value chain development, he added.

Governance, climate resilience and gender equality had been defined as areas of special strategic importance in the cooperation instrument between the AfDB and Mozambique, Abogo said.

“Gender analysis was systematically carried out during the preparation of each new project and, where feasible, specific components aimed at women were included,” he stressed.

The African Development Bank supported dialogue on critical issues such as debt sustainability, through advisory services and knowledge products aimed at policy reforms in macroeconomic management, management of natural resources and mobilisation of resources, the AfDB representative in Mozambique said.

At the opening of the meeting, Mozambique’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, guaranteed the efficient management of resources for the country’s development, noting that the national economy was showing signs of recovery.

“There are still many challenges to overcome in relation to the flexibility of procedures leading to the good performance of programs and projects, as well as to ensure an efficient management of allocated financial resources,” he declared.

Minister Tonela highlighted the importance of the support that has been channelled by the AfDB, indicating infrastructure and agricultural transformation as the main beneficiaries of the cooperation between the Mozambican state and the continental financial institution.

“Mozambique and the AfDB celebrate 45 years of partnership, marked by a very significant financial assistance for the country’s development of more than US$2.5 billion [€2.3 billion], which started with the first operation in the roads sector in 1977,” he observed.

Source: Lusa