During the opening of the Mokuba Business Center in Zambezia province, the country's head of state stated that creating jobs for youth and women is one of the current government's main priorities.
Daniel Chapo explained that the 'Jobs Now' program was launched to address this issue. This initiative aims to accelerate job creation among young people, support youth employment, strengthen enterprises, and activate sectors capable of absorbing labor and generating income.
According to the Mozambican leader, this program will function as a platform for coordinating financing, vocational training, entrepreneurship, and private sector support, striving to bring youth closer to existing labor market opportunities.
Chapo emphasized that the program's success should be measured not only by the attracted resources, which amount to about $128 million (€110 million), but also by the number and quality of jobs created, as well as the ability to integrate youth and women into economic activity.
He also argued that economic growth only transforms into development when it yields tangible results for the population, particularly through job creation, increased family incomes, and the strengthening of national companies.
The head of state noted that the government understands that economic growth becomes true development only when it reaches the communities. He stated: 'Only when money gets into the pockets of the people can we talk about development.'
It was also clarified that the program will be coordinated with other state instruments for promoting employment and financing, including the Catalyst Fund, Emprega, ProJovem, Promulher, and the Acredita Emprega initiative.
'We want to move from scattered initiatives to a coordinated response. We want youth training to be linked to the real needs of businesses, and we want financing to reach those who can produce and hire,' he said.
In his speech, Chapo reiterated that the private sector is what provides income to families, and the state's role is to create a favorable environment for investment and remove barriers to doing business.
The head of state called for reducing bureaucracy and improving the quality of public services provided to entrepreneurs and investors. He stated: 'We, as the state sector, cannot have 'complicators' just to complicate the private sector,' adding that public services must act quickly, transparently, and in a spirit of supporting business.
Chapo took the opportunity to highlight major investments planned for the Rovuma basin in Cabo Delgado, noting that natural gas projects currently under implementation or preparation could attract up to $60 billion (€51.6 billion) in investment in the coming years. In this regard, he mentioned pending reforms, including changes to mining and oil legislation, new local content rules, and the creation of a Development Bank.
The ceremony also served as the inauguration of the Mokuba Business Center, which is designed to provide support to entrepreneurs, investors, and business promotion institutions, including company formalization services through a Single Window service. According to Chapo, this infrastructure should help bring public services closer to citizens and create better conditions for the growth of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.