Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Thursday called for a “sustainable, inclusive and resilient” development of the country’s 65 municipalities.
Speaking in Maputo, at the opening of the 14th National Meeting of Municipalities, Chapo called for “a deep reflection on the model of local governance that we are building, a model resting on the participation of citizens, on effective decentralisation and on the promotion of local solutions for local problems”.
In that reflection, he called on municipal leaders “to capitalise on the good practices of municipalisation accumulated by the municipalities” in the 27 years since the creation of the first municipalities.
They should share good experiences “about the collection and transparent management of revenue, the rehabilitation of roads and other urban infrastructure, the fight against coastal and urban erosion, the involvement of communities in solving local problems, and the fight against corruption in the municipalities”.
Chapo claimed that, with gradual municipalisation of the country, “decision making power is closer to local communities, opening space for greater participation by communities in identifying their problems and in searching for solutions”.
But, despite the advances, there remain problems “with the transparent management of public resources, sustainable urban planning, urban transport and mobility, and equitable access to infrastructures and basic services”.
Chapo stressed that the impact of the post-election unrest was still being felt on the country’s social and economic fabric, and particularly on the municipalities. The massive destruction in the wake of the announcement of election results widely regarded as fraudulent, and the looting of public and private property, had reduced the capacity of municipalities to provide services.
He urged the municipalities to work with communities “to restore confidence and hope”. Municipal leaders should work to raise the awareness of citizens so that rioting and destruction would never happen again.
Municipal citizens, Chapo insisted, “should value the gains made by the Mozambican people, particularly peace, love for one’s neighbours, national unity and reconciliation”.
“Social peace, political stability, and security and harmony within the communities are indispensable for the success of our common struggle for the integrated and sustainable development of our municipalities”, he stressed.
Municipal development, Chapo added, “should be built with the active participation of the population, in an approach of inclusion in which nobody is left behind”.
“The vision of the government is clear”, declared the President, “We want strong municipalities that are financially sustainable, technologically innovative and guided by results”. They should be “poles of local economic development, capable of attracting national and foreign investment, of creating jobs for young people and for women and of improving the quality of life of their citizens”.
Chapo urged the municipal mayors “to further exploit local potential and internal and external partnerships to speed up the development of cities and towns”. Transparency and integrity were of vital importance, including the fight against corruption.
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