Address by President Chissano

On the occasion of receiving the 1997 Africa Prize for Leadership

Madame President of the Global Board of The Hunger Project,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to be one of the laureates of the 11th Annual Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. On behalf of my Government, the Mozambican people and indeed on my own behalf, I would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude to the Global Board of The Hunger Project for this high distinction.

This award makes us feel proud of the world's recognition of the efforts Mozambique is making for the eradication of hunger and poverty, and to enable the achievement of self-sufficiency and food security for all Mozambicans, hand in hand with the eradication of endemic diseases and illiteracy.

My country, Mozambique, has been honoured by this prestigious prize in 1992, when Mrs. Graga Machel was a laureate. We welcome the 1997 Africa Prize as an encouragement to the work to which we are devoting our talents and resources.

We are particularly touched by the fact that we are being awarded this prize at a very auspicious and joyous occasion, the celebration of the Twentieth Anniversary of The Hunger Project. We congratulate you most sincerely for your twenty years of outstanding achievements.

I am glad to share this award with Mrs. Joyce Banda, the founder and Executive Director of the National Association of Business Women of Malawi, whom I congratulate for the efforts carried out in promoting women, not only in Malawi, but also in Southern Africa, the African continent and the world at large. Congratulations, Mrs. Banda for your most worthy work in Malawi which rightly deserves the prize we are sharing today and being honoured with in this event.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mozambique feels proud of her achievements and history.

Recent history of destabilisation wars gives Mozambique a special characteristic in the Southern African region. It is for this reason that we particularly cherish the award we are receiving today.

Despite the destabilisation wars imposed on us, we embarked in 1987 on a Structural Adjustment Programme with a view to revitilising our economy and creating a favourable environment for both domestic and foreign investment, and to enabling the country to re-direct its efforts towards economic and social recovery. Our investment code has been streamlined to meet these objectives.

After successive, indeed 1 0 years of implementation of such a programme under the most adverse circumstances, positive and encouraging results are visible today. In fact, in 1996 the GDP grew by around 6.4%, exports by 24%, and the inflation rate declined to 16.6% against 70% in 1994 and 54% in the following year. Based on September's evaluation, which showed 2,3% we estimate a single digit of cumulative inflation rate for 1997.

We are witnessing the currency stabilisation. Estimates for the major macroeconomic indicators suggest that the economic results for 1997 will be better than those of last year.

This encouraging economic performance is by and large due to the positive agricultural output, owing to sound government policies enshrined in its Five-Year Programme (1995-1999), as well as favorable climate conditions. In implementing these policies we have given special emphasis to encourage agricultural production for the most disadvantaged segments of the society, particularly women, returnees and internally displaced persons. In Mozambique, the role of women in agricultural production is of paramount importance for, women and children constitute the majority and yet the most vulnerable group of our population.

Therefore, programmes that will permit this segment of our population to increase their knowledge on advanced methods of farming and nutrition continue to be at the centre of our priorities. We are in the process of empowering women through adequate training and provision of credit for micro and small business. We are rebuilding the rural marketing network which was devastated not long ago. We are reconstructing schools and hospitals and building new ones with a view to extending them even to the most remote areas of the country, at the same time we are improving the quality of education.

In so doing, we are making a contribution to the regional ideals stressing on the need for improvement of the gender balance and equality which includes the promotion of women's full access to and control over productive resources such as land, livestock, markets, credit, modern technology, employment, thus enhancing their living standards.

We have equally embarked on privatisation of agricultural enterprises, a step aimed at further improving the output of this sector of our economy. In order to rationalise and upgrade the farming methods, we have recently concluded an agreement with South Africa, under which South African farmers are now working in Mozambique with their Mozambican counterparts within the framework of the Mosagrius Project. This project is aimed at bringing new skills and technologies thus providing the necessary agricultural inputs for internal

consumption, food sufficiency as well as job creation. South Africa's gains in this project are also important as it helps them bringing down tensions of different nature and enables to increase their agriculture and agro-industrial production.

Our struggle for poverty eradication is an encompassing one. It requires full commitment to the rehabilitation of health and education facilities and services, as well as for rural development. It requires full participation of the Government, the private sector the rural communities and the civil society as a whole. It is therefore on behalf of all of them that I receive today this award.

It is worth mentioning that in recognition of the challenges ahead, the Government devotes around 40% of its annual budget to education, health, including prevention of endemic diseases, and provision of potable water in rural areas.

These efforts are complemented by a vigorous mine-clearance campaign with the generous assistance of the international community. As a matter of fact, early this year, my Government resolved to prohibit with immediate effect, the production, marketing, use, stockpiling and non-authorised transportation of anti-personnel landmines in Mozambique.

Let me take this opportunity to warmly congratulate the International Campaign Movement to Ban Landmines for the deserved Nobel Prize award. Mozambique being associated with this worldwide Movement, we see the Prize as a just recognition of the tireless efforts led by the Movement.

We firmly believe that only the elimination of these horrible weapons can respond to the needs of the peoples worldwide. It is for these reasons that we have been participating fully in the undertakings within the framework of the Ottawa Process. At the same time, we strive for the rehabilitation of the main and feeder roads the most part of which were destroyed by war or blocked by landmines.

As we undertake these bold steps towards poverty eradication we continue to be guided by the Rome Declaration on Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action with which we identify ourselves fully.

Despite some visible progress in our struggle against hunger and poverty, as illustrated by the reduction of the number of Mozambicans depending upon free food distribution, we are still in need for your support. For this reason that the concept of food security goes beyond increasing food production. It requires continuation of adequate policies to attain sustainable development through self-reliance.

With your support we shall succeed in fighting the negative consequences of the ever threatening "El Niņo" phenomenon. With your support we shall succeed in consolidating peace and stability for all Mozambicans. With your continued support we shall succeed in our endeavors to create a better world for our peoples, a world in which there will be bread, milk and shelter for all.

Let as move together for a better future.

I thank you.

New York, 18th October 1997