The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) recently published the proposed National Development Strategy (ENDE) 2024-43, a planning instrument that establishes the guidelines for achieving economic growth and social development in a sustainable and inclusive manner over the next 20 years.
Of the 13 goals, the document predicts that the average annual income of each Mozambican will increase fivefold, reaching 3.3 thousand dollars, as well as an improvement in life expectancy, from 55.7 years to 76.
“Over the next 20 years, the country will be able to increase the average annual growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 4.1 per cent to 9.2 per cent; raise the average per capita income rate (personal income from salaries and pensions) from the current 605.9 dollars to 3.3 thousand dollars; improve life expectancy at birth from 55.7 years to 76 years; reduce the illiteracy rate from 38.3 per cent to 19.3 per cent,” says the MEF.
The proposal also envisages increasing access to energy from the public grid from 39 per cent to 100 per cent; safe water from 53.6 per cent to 85 per cent; safe sanitation from 31.7 per cent to 68 per cent; reducing the proportion of the population living below the national poverty line from 68.2 per cent to 27.9 per cent; and reducing the inequality index from 5 per cent to 3 per cent.
With ENDE 2024-43, the Executive aims to improve the perception of control of corruption (points 0 to 100), from 15.9 points to 42 points; increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), as a percentage of GDP, from 10.7 per cent to 45.9 per cent; improve the capacity to forecast and respond to extreme events from five days to two days; increase the Environmental Performance Index, (points 0 to 100), from 31.7 points to 59.9 points.
“ENDE aims to: strengthen governance and transparency; develop the country’s strategic infrastructure and human capital; promote economic diversification, social inclusion and environmental sustainability; increase productivity and competitiveness; and guarantee access to and quality of basic services,” the document explains.
However, in order to achieve these goals, the proposal will have to be operationalised by five fundamental pillars: Structural Transformation of the Economy; Social and Demographic Transformation; Infrastructures and Territorial Planning; Governance; and the Environment and Circular Economy, where each pillar is made up of strategic objectives, result indicators and targets to be achieved by 2043.
The MEF emphasises that the implementation of ENDE requires the coordination and articulation of various actors, both public and private, national and international, who participate in the different stages of the project management cycle.
For the Executive, ENDE is an ambitious instrument with the aim of transforming the country into a modern, competitive, sustainable and inclusive economy.
“Success will depend on solid political commitment, mobilisation of significant resources in human and financial terms, and regular evaluations of progress,” he says.
