WASHINGTON, 25 January: In his first official visit to Africa as head of the World Bank, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick will visit several cities in Mozambique for two days beginning Feb. 2.
As part of his trip, Mr. Zoellick will meet with government officials, and members of civil society and the private sector. He will also visit the sites of several Bank-financed projects.
Mozambique: A Decade of Growth
Mr. Zoellicks trip is part of a wider visit to Africa, where he will stop in three other countries including Mauritania and Liberia, and Ethiopia where he will address a summit of the African Union.
– Mr. Zoellicks visit is another signal of the World Bank Groups continued commitment to support Mozambiques fight against poverty, said Michael Baxter, World Bank director for Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
On the list of sites Mr. Zoellick will visit: the Sena Line in Beira, a project dedicated to post-conflict resolution. He will visit the Beira Hospital, where the care of patients with HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and malnutrition is top priority.
Mr. Zoellick will also visit two gas off-take terminals in Matola and Maputo and will meet with executives at the Mozal aluminum smelter, an International Finance Corporate-financed project.
While in Maputo, Mr. Zoellick will meet with Prime Minister Luisa Diogo and with Mozambiques economy ministers. The group will discuss the South East African countrys push for post-conflict resolution following the end of civil war in 1992, governance issues, the battle against HIV/AIDS and ways Mozambique can best exploit its natural resources.
Finally, Mr. Zoellick will meet with Mozambican President Armando Guebuza.
Mozambique is considered one of Sub-Saharan Africas strongest economic performers. The country has enjoyed a major recovery since the civil war with average economic growth at eight percent between 1996 and 2006.
Mozambique, too, has seen a drop in its poverty headcount index of 15 percent, has decreased infant mortality by 35 percent, and has increased primary school enrollment by 65 percent.
But, major challenges include an HIV/AIDS infection rate of 16 percent and large swaths of the population still living in poverty.
– Mozambique has made tremendous strides in economic and social development but still over half the population is poor. More needs to be done in the fight against poverty and to promote broad-based growth, said Baxter.
– I am sure the countrys leadership will continue to tackle critical areas such as stronger governance and anti-corruption programs; improved efficiency of the justice sector; stronger health, education and water services for the poor; and effective programs to limit the spread of HIV/AIDS and also to treat it, he added.
Since it began operations in Mozambique in 1984, World Bank assistance has evolved from helping to stabilize the economy in the 1980s to post-war reconstruction in the early 1990s, to a comprehensive support strategy in the late 1990s, to the current strategy that involves close collaboration with the Government, development partners and civil society.
The WBGs commitment to Mozambiques development effort is significant. Over four years from June 2003 to June 2007, 2,5 billion dollar has been transferred to the former Portuguese colony.
This includes International Development Association (IDA) disbursements, IFC activities, trust funds and IDA debt relief), and 331 million dollar in guarantees has been issued by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and IBRD.
An additional 1,1 billion dollar has been facilitated through the World Bank in the form of non-IDA debt relief.
The IFCs portfolio (as of December 2007) totals 113 million dollar, consisting of eight projects in finance, agribusiness, primary metals production, oil and gas, and general manufacturing, including four operations in the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.
Mozambique is MIGAs fifth-largest host country and represents the agencys largest exposure in Africa. The portfolio consists of 19 guarantees totaling 238 million dollar in gross exposure (134 million in net exposure), including 85 million dollar for Sasol, 60 million for the Marromeu sugar project, and 25 million for the Moma mining project.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
