Maputo, 12 Jul (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has called for empowerment and training of people in vulnerable situations, so that they can escape dependency and guarantee their own livelihoods.
According to Nyusi, who was speaking on Thursday, in Maputo, at the opening of a National Conference on Social Protection, an event taking place in the capital under the slogan “Progress and Challenges of Social Protection in Mozambique”, there is a need to be more determined in inclusion.
“If you walk along the roads or visit some of the shops in the cities you’ll see people who are waiting to receive handouts, people who are able to work”, he said.
“I know many people with disabilities and that only empowerment would help reduce the number of people in vulnerable situations”, he said.
Investing in social protection, he said, is investing in people by increasing their capacities and their resilience resulting in improved health, employability skills and income.
“It contributes to the reduction of poverty and exclusion, it promotes inclusive economic growth, it promotes peace and social cohesion and development in general. Investing in social protection is not just an expense”, Nyusi declared.
He also explained that investing in social protection is investing in the future and well-being of people and communities, as well as in human rights and dignity. And the government must “continue to prioritize this type of investment, because there is no development without inclusion.”
For his turn, the representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Mozambique, José Luis Fernandez, highlighted the growth in the number of people covered by social protection in Mozambique.
“In 2014, the number of people covered rose to 439,000 and by 2022 around 1.7 million Mozambicans were covered by the social protection system. Mozambique is showing itself to be a world example in terms of social protection because it is seen as an investment and not just an expense and this is a source of national and international pride “, he said.
Fernandez also appreciated the country’s implementation of regular social protection and child benefit programmes, saying that “no country has achieved economic and social progress without investing in quality social protection systems and public services that provide people with the support they need to withstand all kinds of vicissitudes.”
(AIM)
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