The Mozambican government, through the Ministry of Economy, and the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), the largest employers' organization in the country, are working to join forces in defining structural measures to be implemented in the short, medium and long term by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for the recovery of the national economy..

The initiative comes against a backdrop of uncertainty and dissatisfaction on the part of investors, resulting from the latest events in the violent demonstrations that have taken place over the last four months.

In a meeting held on Monday (10), the national director of Foreign Trade, Claire Zimba, said that "the Ministry of Economy, as the government's focal point with the private sector, through the CTA, will establish mechanisms for interaction, centered on a more pragmatic analysis of structural measures in the short, medium and long term of the process of our economic transformation, aimed at the recovery of our economy, especially in the most affected areas, the City and Province of Maputo".

"The interaction with the CTA, inclusive, broad and regular, will deserve special attention, technical and political aspects at the level of our directorates, so that there are concrete responses and positive signs of the joint effort so that we can return to normality after the damage caused by the impact of the demonstrations in the post-election period," added Claire Zimba.

Through this mechanism, it will also be crucial, according to the source, to mobilize more partners to define an agenda for improving the business environment. To this end, "jobs need to be created so that the productive sector can play its part and contribute to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)".

"We must restore the country's image as a leading destination for tourism," he said.

With regard to funding for SMEs, the main concern of the entrepreneurs who saw their businesses destroyed and looted, he said it didn't make sense at this stage to talk about exact figures, "because a more exhaustive survey process is underway". "The issue of impact isn't just quantitative, it transcends what we've seen and is therefore transversal, which is why dialog with the private sector is important."

For his part, the president of the CTA's Communication and Information sector, Paulo Oliveira, said, quoted by the AIMHe said that the economy is incapable of developing without creating jobs for the population.

"The private sector is a huge step towards a brighter future for us and we hope for something good, a mechanism for the recovery of our economy, which has been badly affected by the violent demonstrations," said Oliveira.

(Photo DR)