MOZAMBIQUE’S PRESIDENT GUEBUZA ANNOUNCES NEW GOVT APPOINTMENTS

MAPUTO, Jan 20 (NNN-AIM) — Mozambique’s newly sworn-in President Armando Guebuza has appointed former Education Minister Aires Ali as Prime Minister in his new government, succeeding Luisa Diogo, who is not a member of the new government.

Ali had previously been governor of the province of Niassa (1995-2000), and then of the southern province of Inhambane (2000-2004). Earlier posts he held were provincial director of education in Nampula (19880-1986), head of the office of the Minister of Education (1989-90), and National Director of School Social Welfare Programmes (1991-92).

President Guebuza last Saturday also re-appointed the great majority of ministers who served in his last government. The two key economic ministries remained in the hands of the same people who have negotiated with Mozambique?s foreign partners over the last five years — Manuel Chang as Minister of Finance and Aiuba Cuereneia as Minister of Planning and Development.

Jose Pacheco remains Minister of Interior, Filipe Nyussi Minister of Defence, Oldemiro Baloi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivo Garrido Minister of Health, Soares Nhaca Minister of Agriculture, Benvinda Levy Minister of Justice, and Venancio Massingue Minister of Science and Technology.

Also retained in the same portfolios were Esperanca Bias as Minister of Mineral Resources, Alcinda Abreu as Minister of the Environment, Helena Taipo as Minister of Labour, Salvador Namburete as Minister of Energy, Antonio Fernando as Minister of Industry and Trade, Paulo Zucula as Minister of Transport, Vitoria Diogo as Minister for the Public Service, and Antonio Sumbana as Minister for the President?s Office.

Fernando Sumbana remains the Minister of Tourism. For the last year he has concurrently been Minister of Youth and Sport, since the previous holder of that post, David Simango, was elected Mayor of Maputo in the November 2008 municipal elections. Now there is a new Minister of Youth and Sport, Pedrito Caetano, who is a newcomer to the government.

President Guebuza has split the Ministry of Education and Culture into two. The new Minister of Education is Zeferino Martins, who was once Deputy Minister of Education under President Guebuza?s predecessor, Joaquim Chissano, and in recent years has been Executive Director of the Commission for the Reform of Professional Education (COREP).

President Guebuza appointed poet Armando Artur Joao as Minister of Culture. He was previously Deputy President of the Maputo-based Portuguese Language Bibliographic Fund.

Cadmiel Muthemba leaves the Ministry of Fisheries to replace Felicio Zacarias as Minister of Public Works and Housing. Victor Borges is promoted from Deputy Minister to Minister of Fisheries. Carmelita Namashalua moves from Deputy Minister to Minister of State Administration, replacing Lucas Chomera,

Mateus Oscar Kida becomes Minister for Veterans? Affairs, while the previous occupant of this post, Feliciano Gundana, becomes Minister in the Presidency for Social Matters. Adelaide Amurane, a former Deputy Minister of Labour under Chissano, moves into President Guebuza?s office as Minister in the Presidency for Parliamentary, Municipal and Provincial Assembly Affairs.

Iolanda Cintura, formerly National Director of Liquid Fuels in the Ministry of Energy, becomes Minister of Women?s Affairs and Social Welfare, replacing Virgilia Matabele.

President Guebuza, who was inaugurated for his second term of office last Thursday, has pledged that the struggle against poverty would remain the dominant theme of his governance in his second term of office.

Speaking at Maputo?s Independence Square, immediately after he was sworn into office for a second five-year term, he stressed that ?the fight against poverty and for the culture of hard work will be at the epicentre of my governance?.

He recalled that in last year?s election campaign, he took to the voters the message that he was willing to continue leading the Mozambican people in the battle against poverty. In diagnosing the causes of poverty, ?we stressed that we have just two choices: either we resign ourselves to poverty as an invincible evil, or we arm ourselves with our self-esteem, and fight to make poverty retreat until it passes into history?.

Over the past five years there had been many successes, he recalled — more schools, health units and water sources have been built, and in areas where there had once been hunger, ?our hard working people are now demanding markets where they can sell their surplus crops?.

?Mozambique has moved forward, at an accelerated pace?, said the President. ?Poverty has retreated considerably.

?The time has now come to put aside the political differences that characterized the competition for votes, and dedicate ourselves, with all our energies, to the struggle against poverty, to the epic of a people who knows that it can overcome this scourge.”

President Guebuza promised that his government would ensure respect for the democratic rule of law and of social justice, based on political pluralism and on respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens. — NNN-AIM

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