Charles Mangwiro
Business Report (South Africa)
May 24, 2007

Aid to Mozambique would remain largely unchanged in 2008 due to the African nation’s poor progress fighting corruption and implementing other reforms, a group of Western nations and donor agencies said on Thursday.

Norway’s ambassador to Mozambique, Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether, said that a recent review of the government’s performance in 2006 had shown too many deficiencies.
“The areas needing special attention included legal reform, productivity in agriculture, the provision of public services, and the fight against corruption,” Gaustadsaether told reporters during a ceremony in the capital Maputo.

“In order to maintain our relationship based on trust, we need results and an open dialogue around these questions, whether political or economic,” he said, adding that Mozambique must work harder to implement anti-corruption measures.