The President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, made his debut this Saturday (15) at the summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, where he highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation between African countries to tackle common challenges, particularly the creation of jobs for young people and the strengthening of political dialogue on the continent..

In his speech, the Mozambican Head of State began by thanking his counterparts for their welcome and congratulating him on his election. He was one of five statesmen who made their debut at the African Union summit.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Maria dos Santos Lucas, quoted by AIMDuring his speech, the Mozambican statesman thanked the African Union for sending the electoral observation mission to the country and referred to the ongoing dialog regarding the post-electoral panorama in the country.

The Mozambican diplomat said that the statesman highlighted the importance of adopting strategies to create jobs, with a focus on getting young people into the labor market, and called on member states to collaborate with Mozambique in this challenge.

In addition to the plenary session, the Mozambican President held bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries and representatives of financial institutions. He met with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, at which time the two leaders reaffirmed the strategic partnership between Mozambique and the UN. Chapo thanked the UN for the humanitarian support given to the country, especially in the province of Cabo Delgado, due to the cyclones and the fight against terrorism.

Another highlight was the meeting with the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu, a meeting considered historic, given that the Mozambican President had already visited the country before taking office. "Tanzania expressed its full willingness to continue supporting Mozambique in the fight against terrorism," said the minister.

The Mozambican President also met with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, whom he thanked for his country's support in the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, as well as for the economic cooperation initiatives between the two nations.

As part of his economic diplomacy, Daniel Chapo met with the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, and discussed the possibility of Mozambique benefiting from new projects financed by the institution.

"The President of the Republic challenged the ADB to come up with ways of raising more funds to finance projects in Mozambique," said Maria dos Santos Lucas. In response, Adesina assured that the ADB is available to continue supporting the country and highlighted the existence of a guarantee fund that can be used to obtain financing from other international institutions.

(Photo DR)