Maputo, 11 Feb (AIM) – The Mozambican government has pledged that, in its first 100 days in office, it will pay off its debts to workers of the public administration and to the suppliers of goods and services to the state.
This includes paying state employees their New Year bonus, known as the “13th month” since it is equivalent to the payment of an extra month of the basic wage. This payment will cost the state budget 8.3 billion meticais (about 130 million US dollars).
Paying teachers and health workers their long overdue overtime payments will cost a further 1.1 billion meticais. The money owed to the state’s suppliers of goods and services comes to 1.5 billion meticais.
The government has also pledged to distribute free school textbooks to all pupils in the first cycle of primary education throughout the country, and to implement a national programme of school meals.
The plan for the first 100 days, summarised in Tuesday’s issue of the independent daily “O Pais”, also promises to conclude the hiring of a contractor for the rehabilitation of 61 kilometres of the country’s main north-south highway (EN1) between Gorongosa and Caia, in the central province of Sofala.
New boats will be acquired to operate coastal shipping routes, two locomotives will be acquired for long distance passenger transport in the southern and central region, and three aircraft will be purchased.
The government promises new buses for rural public transport in Zambezia, Nampula, Manica and Maputo provinces.
These are some of the 77 priority actions the government promises to take in the first 100 days. The government admits that its ambitious plans require the establishment of peace. It promises “to ensure the consolidation of national unity through continual dialogue with political parties, civil society organisations, and religious denominations, in an environment of social and political stability”.
The government did not say whether this dialogue will include the new political party which the runner-up in the presidential election, Venancio Mondlane, has promised to set up.
(AIM)
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