The Ministry of Economy and the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) are working to join forces to define structural measures to be implemented in the short, medium and long term to recover the national economy, after more than two months of general demonstrations.
The protests in the country caused major economic damage, which reduced the business environment and made it less attractive to investors. For this reason, the government considered it ‘crucial’ to work together with the business community to win the confidence of its partners.
‘It is crucial to mobilise more partners to define an agenda to improve the business environment. This requires the creation of jobs, so that the productive sector can play its part and contribute to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),’ said the national director of Foreign Trade, Claire Zimba.
Speaking during a meeting with the private sector, he emphasised that the destruction not only affects investors because of the reduction in supply capacity, but also Mozambicans because they have lost their jobs. ‘We must recover the country’s image as a reference destination for tourism,’ he emphasised.
‘The Ministry of Economy, as the government’s focal point with the private sector, will establish mechanisms for interaction, centred on a more pragmatic analysis of short, medium and long-term structural measures in the process of our economic transformation, aimed at recovery, especially in the areas most affected by the protests,’ he added.
With regard to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Zimba said that ‘a more exhaustive survey process is underway to find out for sure how many were affected by the violent demonstrations that culminated in the looting and destruction of commercial establishments.’
For his part, the president of the CTA’s Communication and Information sector, Paulo Oliveira, said that the economy would not be able to develop without generating jobs for the population, warning that ‘due to the negative impacts of the protests, there are companies that will not open their doors again’, some for lack of capacity and others for lack of money to re-qualify their industry.
Oliveira believes that the situation is difficult for everyone, including business owners who haven’t closed their doors. ‘We’re making big sacrifices to try to safeguard jobs and fulfil our debts and obligations.’
