Mozambique is a role model within international development aid. With a strategy to combat poverty that is well established within Mozambican society, the government has been able to build from a long-term perspective. The result is a 20 per-cent reduction in absolute poverty in the last 15 years.
One effect of this positive trend is an increase in Swedish budgetary support. This support gives a direct injection into the country’s own efforts to reach its development targets. Important progress in constructing reliable public administration is giving legitimacy to our continued cooperation.
Mozambique’s strategy to combat poverty – PARPA II
Investments for the future
Despite the country’s improvements, it still has a population that is among the most vulnerable in the world. The years of war devastated the infrastructure, and social developments regressed considerably. One important reason for the widespread poverty is that economic growth has not led to any great increase in employment. Only 10 per cent of the workforce is fixed-wage earners, while the remainder work within the informal sector, mostly with self-sufficient or small-scale farming. The country has major agricultural potential and is rich in natural resources but still lacks the tools to realize its potential.
Sweden’s areas of cooperation in Mozambique:
- Democracy
- Economic development with a focus on farming and energy
- Research cooperation.
