May 24, 2008

Business Associations Pledge Help for Returnees

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)

Mozambican business associations have promised to assist the thousands of destitute Mozambican citizens fleeing from ethnic cleansing in South Africa.

"We are preparing a debate on the best way to guarantee the social re-insertion of our fellow citizens who are returning to Mozambique, so as to prevent this return from resulting in agitation or social disturbances", said Salimo Abdula, chairperson of the Confederation of Mozambican Business associations (CTA) on Thursday night, immediately after he had been re-elected to the post

Speaking to reporters, Abdula listed the soaring world grain prices, and the exodus of Mozambicans from South Africa as two of the major challenges facing the new CTA leadership.

The question of resettling the Mozambicans who have returned from South Africa, after suffering great trauma and violence, "should be faced with great responsibility, particularly since we know that Mozambique is already grappling with serious problems of unemployment", said Abdula.

"We want to send a very strong message to the South African people and their government that we are repelled by this wave of xenophobia that is affecting Mozambicans", he added. "During the apartheid era, Mozambique sheltered South African citizens on its territory, and they were always well treated by Mozambicans".

Abdula's re-election was something of a formality, since he was the only candidate. There was just one list for the Managing Board of the CTA, so all the key officials were elected unopposed.

The deputy chairpersons are Hendrik Son, of the Mozambique-USA Chamber of Commerce, Pereira Momade, of the Nampula Commercial, Industrial and Agricultural Association, Rogerio Manuel, of the Mozambican Road Transport Federation, and Armando Cardoso, of the Mozambican Federation of Building Contractors.

The CTA currently has 74 members. These are business associations, federations and chambers of commerce, representing the entire country and a wide range of economic activities.

Abdula promised that the new CTA leadership will continue to work towards improving the business environment in Mozambique, so that it will become more favourable to the development of a strong and dynamic private business sector, particularly through the removal of administrative barriers to business, and improving key infrastructures.