Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Swiss government reiterated in the city of Nampula last Friday (02-05) that it would continue to support Mozambique’s implementation of the ongoing decentralization process in the country, Ikweli reports.
This guarantee was given by the representative of the Swiss embassy in Mozambique, Marta Lopes, during the second meeting of the Nampula Provincial Coordination Committee of the Decentralization and Inclusive Development Program.
Switzerland also reiterated its recognition of the importance of decentralization in ensuring local development.
“This strategy recognizes that the sustainability of decentralization depends on six factors: planning public finance systems, strengthening the institutional capacities of local authorities, promoting community participation in decision-making and local management, developing decentralized policies from the provision of public services, improving finance and resource allocation, and improving the efficiency and transparency of local public resource management,” Lopes said.
“In 2025, Switzerland remains institutionally committed to supporting the decentralization process through various initiatives. With a view to supporting the space for dialogue established by the government to achieve this goal, we accepted the request from the commission reflecting on the decentralized governance model to organize a study visit to Switzerland, which took place in April this year,” she continued.
“We also seek to strengthen municipalities, which is why we sought financial support from the National Association of Municipalities of Mozambique to organize the National Council that took place this week, also in this location,” the Swiss representative noted.
“Decentralization will not solve all the problems”
For Secretary of State for Nampula province Plácido Pereira, the Program for Integrated Development being implemented in the province with Swiss guidance is part of the policy and efforts of the government of Mozambique with a view to strengthening and consolidating decentralization and improving the provision of local public services.
Despite this, Plácido Pereira stated that decentralization by itself would not solve all the problems of the country and its communities, “but it has the power to involve the community, to involve society in the discussion, in the decision-making of matters that concern decentralization”.
As recalled by the Secretary of State, “in decentralization there is a relocation of decision-making power from the centre to the periphery”.
“Decentralization is a component of the governance system that has the power to ensure that the government is closer to the citizens, creating privileged and legal spaces for the participation and engagement of citizens, allowing local governments to understand and respond with assertive actions to the concerns of users,” Pereira said.
On the other hand, the Secretary of State in the most populous province of Mozambique challenged the district governments to ensure that local Consultative Councils were effective in promoting development.
“To ensure the effective participation of users in defining priorities for local development actions, it is essential to revitalize and ensure the regular and effective functioning of Local Consultative Councils at various levels, as legal bodies established to participate in the planning and monitoring process of actions that contribute to solving community problems, ensuring transparent and inclusive management,” Pereira continued-
“We must deconstruct the narrative and perception that local advisory councils emerged with the institutionalization of the FDD, since the creation of local Advisory Councils derives from the law that predates it. We want to use this opportunity to recommend that district governments and municipal councils invest in the revitalization and functioning of local advisory councils, as local consultation bodies under the terms of the law,” Pereira stressed.
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