
Primeiro-ministro, Adriano Maleiane
Maputo, 24 Sep (AIM) – The African Development Bank (AfDB) disbursed, over the last 47 years, about 3.5 billion dollars in Mozambique, which was invested in 115 projects.
According to the Prime Minister, Adriano Maleiane, who was speaking on Monday at the ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the creation of the AfDB, these sums were invested in agriculture, transport, energy, water and sanitation.
“Part of this amount contributed to improving the living conditions of the Mozambican population. It also helped to modernize the Nacala corridor, improving logistics and connectivity internally, as well as strengthening the country’s competitive position”, he claimed.
Maleiane, said that the Bank of Mozambique acknowledges and praises the role of the AfDB in the economic and social development since the country joined that financial institution in 1977.
“The African Development Bank has been aligned with our government’s priorities, as evidenced by the strategic investments in infrastructure such as energy, water, sanitation, roads, bridges and the modernization of agriculture in the context of developing the agricultural value chain”, he said.
According to Maleiane, the Bank helped the country to mitigate the effects of climate change, including cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019, and of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also been involved in the reconstruction of the districts affected by Islamist terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
For his turn, Transport Minister, Mateus Magala, said that the AfDB has been a crucial institution in the fight against poverty in Africa.
“It’s not a foreign bank, it’s an instrument of the governments”, he said. “The Bank’s vision for 60 years remains the same, which is to eliminate poverty, promote well-being, economic development and regional integration”.
However, he said that the Bank must design new strategies of assisting the country, acting as a Bank that promotes solutions to structural problems, namely job creation for young people and women, debt management, regional security, climate change and economic digitalization.
(AIM)
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