Plenary session
Panel discussion: Unlocking inclusive growth in Mozambique

After decades of impressive growth, remarkable socio-economic advancements, and high hopes stemming from the discovery of enormous gas reserves towards the turn of 2010s, the positive development path of Mozambique has been severely affected by a series of external and internal crises since the mid-2010s: the external debt crisis, armed conflicts in Central and Northern Mozambique, a series of regular cyclones, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian crisis and its effects on global economy, and the pressures generated by significant demographic growth. One consequence of these developments has been weakened overall economic growth and a considerable increase in consumption (monetary) poverty. 

Together with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Mozambique, the University of Eduardo Mondlane, and the University of Copenhagen, UNU-WIDER has been implementing a collaborative research and capacity development programme in Mozambique since 2015. The Inclusive growth in Mozambique (IGM) programme aims to address key development challenges of the country by supporting the production of high-quality research and analysis for evidence-based policymaking. The current phase of the programme is closing in 2024.

The main purpose of this session is to discuss some of the key development challenges in Mozambique, the host country of the 2024 WIDER Development Conference, and showcase the importance of policy-relevant research as produced under the IGM programme. 

Programme
09:30-09:40Opening statements by Enilde Sarmento | National Director, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and H.E. Haakon Gram-Johannessen | Ambassador of Norway to Mozambique
09:40-10:30Moderated debate 
10:30-11:00Q&A

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The world at crossroads – securing the future generations

 

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Programme

COLLABORATORS

09:30-11:00 (UTC+2)

haroonHaroon Bhorat | Moderator

Haroon Bhorat is Professor of Economics and Director of the Development Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. He is an expert in labour economics, poverty and inequality, inclusive growth and minimum wages. He serves on the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), holds a prestigious SARChI Chair, and is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

JorgeJorge Ferrão | Panelist

Jorge Ferrão is a Socio-environmental Researcher and the Rector of the Pedagogical University of Maputo. For seven years, he was the Rector of the Universidade Lúrio. In 2011, he assumed the position of President of the AULP and Member of the Executive Committee of SARUA. In 2015 he assumed the position of Minister of Education and Human Development before assuming the position of Rector of the Pedagogical University in 2017.

IngridIngrid Woolard | Panelist

Ingrid Woolard is Professor of Economics at Stellenbosch University and Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of Cape Town. She is a Research Fellow of the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), a non-resident Senior Research Associate at UNU-WIDER and a Research Associate of the Commitment to Equity Institute at Tulane University. Her areas of research interest include the measurement of poverty and inequality, unemployment, social protection and fiscal policy.

samSam Jones | Panelist

Sam Jones is a Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER based in Mozambique, on extended leave from his position as an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen. He is a versatile economist with expertise in macroeconomic analysis, development finance (including foreign aid), microeconomic empirical methods, education and labour markets.