The African Development Bank (AfDB) has proposed to the government a new strategy for the 2023-2028 period aimed at mobilizing resources for social and economic development programmes, the financial institution said in a statement.

The note states that the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) was presented by an AfDB team to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, last week in Maputo.

The document still has to be approved by the body's board of directors and is "an important instrument for mobilizing resources".

The ADB says that the resources to be raised under the CSP will be used to support projects in agriculture, health, education, water, energy and infrastructure.

The Director of the ADB's Agriculture, Finance and Rural Development Department, Atsuko Toda, quoted in the statement, defended the "importance of Mozambique's agricultural transformation in reducing poverty and inequality in an effective and sustainable way".

In Maputo, as well as members of the government, the ADB team met with the private sector and Mozambique's cooperation partners.

"The bank recognizes that the involvement of development partners and the private sector will serve as the basis for future engagement between these key players in investment projects mainly in agriculture, as well as in health, education, water, energy and infrastructure," the note said. (sapo)