MAPUTO, 09 October 2017- At a launch ceremony, Mozambique’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Max Tonela, hailed the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Country Programme, saying it would establish “the conditions to stimulate structural transformation and increase the competitiveness of the national economy, as well as its insertion in the global market”.

Tonela acknowledged the central role which UNIDO must play for the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, stating that industrialization can play a catalytic role for the achievement of sustainable development outcomes. He said the Country Programme “is an initiative perfectly aligned with the goals of the Policy and the Industrial Strategy approved by the Government in September 2016”.

The UNIDO Country Representative, Jaime Comiche, in his presentation quoted the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, who, a few days ago, said that “in the middle of the 21st century, we want an industrialized country, with full use of information and communication technologies, and facilitated access to energy.”

This Country Programme launch event was attended by about 70 participants including senior government officials, representatives of private sector associations, and representatives of development partners, including the UN Resident Coordinator, the ambassadors of Italy, India, South Africa and Brazil. Diplomats from Austria, Japan, Germany, China, Portugal, and representatives from ILO and IFAD, have also attended.

Directors of government institutions which have benefited from UNIDO assistance in recent years, namely INNOQ, DNI and APIEX, reiterated the direct benefits of such technical cooperation and highlighted the need for continued support in the years to come.

For more information:
UNIDO Country Representative,
Jaime Comiche