Mauritius, August 12th 2004 - What are the goals of Mozambique for the SADC Summit?

SADC is an institution which promotes regional integration. We have gone through a process of restructuring, which started in the year 2000 and was completed recently. We have in place a regional indicative development plan, which provides for a way forward to move fast in regional development.

During this summit we will therefore renew our commitment for the rapid development of the region, particularly in the area of fighting poverty. We need to make progress, and we know that this is doable in Mozambique. We managed a 15% of decrease of poverty alleviation between 1997 and 2003, and in some provinces there was even a decrease of up to 18%, so it is possible to reach our goals of poverty alleviation.

Do you think that SADC should speak to the European Union with one voice?

Yes, we are adopting a common position and moving towards a regular interaction with the EU and the US in order to promote the development of strong bilateral relations.

(continues)
Do you believe that AGOA [the African Growth and Opportunity Act] is a good model?

Yes, it works very well. A great deal of investment is taking place across the region thanks to AGOA. We are happy by the decision taken by the US Congress to extend AGOA in the future, which will assure us that the US market will be even more accessible to our economies.

The GDP growth of Mozambique has decreased in past years, from 13% to 10% to 7% last year… Is this a trend, or can you reverse it?

We expect growth to rise to 8% this year. Over the next few years, our economy will continue to grow. We have numerous mining projects that will take off rapidly, and some energy projects as well, so we expect our economy to continue growing in the next few years.

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