Researchers and businessmen defended this Saturday to Lusa that the Reconstruction Plan for Cabo Delgado should include an aspect of employment promotion to annul the recruitment field of young people by the armed groups that torment the region.
Edson Cortez, director of the Center for Public Integrity (CIP), a non-governmental organization, and a specialist in Public Administration, argued that the resources that will be mobilized for the reconstruction of the northern province of the country should incorporate the vector of job creation, because the insurgent groups in Cabo Delgado have grown by recruiting unemployed youth.
"If reconstruction does not include the employment of Cabo Delgado's huge untapped active force and inclusive economic growth, we may return to destruction," Cortez said.
The reconstruction plan, he continued, must be implemented with transparency and inclusion of the private sector and civil society, so that it has greater social sensitivity and productive potential.
"The effectiveness of the plan involves preventing resources from being appropriated by the idle appetites of elites linked to the ruling party," he said.
Edson Cortez says he is surprised with "a reconstruction plan elaborated by the Government", which was not preceded by a wide consultation aiming at its enrichment by the several quadrants of society, namely the province.
About the $300 million budgeted, Edson Cortez considered the figure "obscure" because the "assumptions" that guided its elaboration are not known.
"What can be said in advance is that the government alone will not have this money. It will have to rely on the support of international partners," he emphasized.
Leila Constantino, a researcher at CIP, also argued for a 'pro-employment' plan, pointing out that the war in Cabo Delgado was favored by the desperation of the youth.
"The insurgency in Cabo Delgado has grown rapidly in four years because it is easy to mobilize young people who have nothing to lose and have been living in a situation of discontent since they were born," Constantino said.
The plan, he continued, must ensure the provision of basic essential services, such as roads, bridges, schools, and water, because they also impact the well-being and normalization of life.
"If the gains in security are consolidated, the displaced populations should feel that it is worth returning to the areas from which they fled because of the violence," he considered.
Leila Constantino also warned about the need for transparency so that reconstruction funds don't end up in corruption schemes, recommending audits and public reporting.
The Business Delegate of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA) in Cabo Delgado, Mamudo Irachi, said that the reconstruction plan should be an opportunity to boost business and create jobs.
"We are in contact with the government to jointly ensure that companies in Cabo Delgado province play an active role in reconstruction and job creation," Irachi said.
The plan should boost the construction sector, given the destructive effect of violence on infrastructure, and allow young people to acquire permanent skills, he said.
"We know that construction sites can be more seasonal in nature, so there must be a strategy that allows young people employed in construction not to fall back into unemployment," he emphasized.
The CTA delegate emphasized the imperative of transparency and said that businessmen are "ready for an interaction with the Government that allows the resources available for reconstruction to be channeled to companies with the capacity to show results, generate employment and well-being."
The Reconstruction Plan for Cabo Delgado, approved in September in the Council of Ministers by the government, foresees short term actions (one year) such as "the reposition of public administration, health units, schools, energy, water supply, sanitation, telecommunications, access roads, civil identification, psychosocial support and self-employment, especially for youth.
During the presentation of the document, the Prime Minister, Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, stressed that "the work of rebuilding infrastructure and the human fabric is immense" and "it is necessary to continue to strengthen synergies between the Government, cooperation partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders" to act "faster.
"Our expectation is that, based on this document, partners will be able to identify areas of intervention and indicate how they can join the Government's efforts in mobilizing resources," he said.
The conflict has already caused more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 817,000 displaced people, according to the authorities. Since July, an offensive by government troops with Rwandan support, later joined by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), allowed to increase security, recovering several areas where there was rebel presence, including the town of Mocímboa da Praia, which had been occupied since August 2020.
Lusa Agency