Speeches Shim
Following a long civil war, Mozambique has transitioned to peace, stability, and economic growth. It now provides an essential link between landlocked neighbors and the global marketplace. Mozambique's ties to South Africa’s industrial heartland underscore the fact that the country’s economic, political, and social progress is vital to the interests of the region.
USAID/Mozambique works to achieve gender equality and female empowerment through cross-sectoral initiatives dedicated to improving educational opportunities for women and girls, encouraging the coverage of women’s issues in the media, supporting women farmers, expanding economic opportunities for women, and improving the quality of healthcare for women and adolescent girls, including nutrition services, family planning, gynecological care, child health services, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Agriculture is the backbone of Mozambique’s economy with more than 80% of the population employed in this sector, 90% of those being women. However, the sector’s performance is characterized by low levels of production and productivity due to numerous challenges. These include the adverse impacts of climate change and climate variability (droughts, floods, emergent crop and livestock pests/diseases); lack of availability and access to quality inputs and technologies; soil degradation and low fertility; poor capacity for disease surveillance and control; inadequate veterinary services; insufficient extension services and poor linkages between extension and research. As a result, the Mozambican Ministry of Agriculture and Food security (MASA), in partnership with FAO, would like to build its capacity to improve service delivery to farmers to counter the climatic and pest/disease challenges facing them.
Following a long civil war, Mozambique has transitioned to peace, stability, and economic growth. It now provides an essential link between landlocked neighbors and the global marketplace. Mozambique's ties to South Africa’s industrial heartland underscore the fact that the country’s economic, political, and social progress is vital to the interests of the region.
In Mozambique, a country of approximately 29 million, life expectancy is 51 years of age and the leading causes of death are malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS, which has a high prevalence hovering at 12% and double that in certain areas. In this largely rural country, where health facilities can take over an hour´s walk to reach, the rate of maternal deaths is high (408/100,000) and are related to complications from childbirth, HIV or malaria.
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