The ManicaPost
President Filipe Nyusi recently asked donors and funding agencies to urgently disburse funds promised at the international post-cyclone pledging conference in Beira.
The President was speaking on the second day of the conference at which donors pledged US$1.2 billion for reconstruction in the wake of cyclones Idai and Kenneth which struck Mozambique in March and April.
An assessment validated by experts from the World Bank, the African Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations and the European Union put the total requirements at US$3.2 billion – but it was never expected that this entire sum would be raised at the conference. According to the head of the Mozambican government’s post-cyclone reconstruction office, Francisco Pereira, the reconstruction programme covers a period of five years.
Nonetheless, President Nyusi stressed the urgency of putting the promised financing to work “so that the cornerstones of macro-economic stability are not excessively affected”.
He also said it is crucial to simplify the methods of disbursing the funds, “because the value could be larger, but when the modalities of delivering it are difficult, the intended objectives could be compromised”. — AIM
