On Wednesday, November 5, the government reported that over the past 30 years, the country has made advances in the health and education sectors, as well as in water and energy supply. The information, released by Lusa, was shared during the World Summit on Social Development taking place in Qatar.
The World Summit on Social Development is being held 30 years after the historic 1995 meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, which launched the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development—an international commitment establishing ten fundamental principles to combat poverty, create employment opportunities, and promote social inclusion.
According to Prime Minister Benvinda Levi, the literacy rate in Mozambique has improved significantly, highlighting that the number of girls attending school has increased, now reaching 50%. “More schools have been built, particularly in areas far from urban centers. The pace of achieving targets aligns with population growth.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that in the health sector, 30 years ago, HIV/AIDS was a “true scourge, but today, despite the high number of infections, people have access to treatment. Vaccination coverage has also improved greatly, and basic healthcare reaches more citizens, despite persistent challenges.”
Recently, the Minister of Education and Culture, Samaria Tovela, confirmed in the National Assembly that the budget share allocated to education will decrease in 2025, falling from 14.2% of the 2024 General State Budget to 12.1%. The minister clarified, however, that this reduction does not necessarily mean an absolute decrease in funds allocated to the sector.
“This is a reduction in its relative share within an overall budget that has been compressed due to macroeconomic constraints,” explained the minister in response to a question from the parliamentary group of the Podemos party.
Tovela stated that the government “continues to consider education a priority and is committed to ensuring that available resources are used more efficiently.” She also emphasized that “the current budgetary situation is strongly affected by the post-election crisis, which caused an economic slowdown and a drop in domestic revenue collection.”
Meanwhile, the National Health System has faced several periods of pressure in recent years due to strikes by health workers, first called by the Mozambican Medical Association (AMM) and later by APSUSM, representing around 65,000 health professionals from various departments, primarily demanding better working conditions.
The country currently has 1,778 health units, including 107 health posts, three specialized hospitals, four central hospitals, seven general hospitals, seven provincial hospitals, 22 rural hospitals, and 47 district hospitals, according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health.
