The creation of decent and sustainable jobs must be placed at the center of Mozambique’s development strategies, argues the World Bank’s Country Director for Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, and Seychelles, Fily Sissoko, in a statement released this week on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
According to the Club of Mozambique portal, based on informal observations in Maputo, Sissoko describes the reality of thousands of young Mozambicans who face daily life in informal activities, without access to training, formal employment, or stable income — despite their entrepreneurial spirit and determination. According to him, this reality demonstrates the resilience of Mozambicans but also the structural limitations that prevent inclusive economic growth.
Mozambique sees about 500,000 young people enter the labor market every year, but only 25,000 formal jobs are created, forcing the majority to remain in subsistence agriculture or the informal sector, where job security is weak and income levels are low. For the World Bank, employment is the most effective tool to fight poverty — and therefore both an economic and moral imperative. Sissoko argues that Mozambique has the conditions to prosper, thanks to its strategic location on the Indian Ocean coast, proximity to landlocked countries, abundance of natural resources, and a young population with the potential to drive economic growth.
He recalls the example of Vietnam, which in 1987 had income levels similar to Mozambique’s and, through structural reforms and consistent policies, managed to transform its economy — achieving an average annual growth of 7% and reducing its poverty rate from around 60% in 1993 to less than 3% in 2020. Sissoko maintains that Mozambique can follow a similar path, provided that reforms are aligned with long-term goals, with investment in human capital development and the creation of an enabling environment for private investment and inclusive growth. Macrofiscal stability, he emphasizes, is essential to restore investor confidence and ensure sustainable development.
According to the World Bank, effective policy implementation is the most critical element. “Implementation is not a bureaucratic detail — it is the policy itself,” says Sissoko, highlighting five key factors for success: strong leadership, a long-term vision with clear targets, competent technical teams, robust monitoring systems, and ongoing dialogue with the private sector and civil society.
In this context, the World Bank is preparing a new Country Partnership Framework to support Mozambique’s development over the next five years. The new strategy will focus on strengthening economic corridors, promoting job creation in high-potential sectors — namely energy, agro-industry, and tourism — boosting investment in infrastructure and human capital, and mitigating factors of social and economic fragility.
For Fily Sissoko, this is Mozambique’s moment — a particularly decisive one for youth and women, with concrete opportunities to participate in large-scale investments and to renew the pact between government, civil society, the private sector, and development partners, based on stronger and more transparent economic governance.
Source: Diário Económico
