UNCDF in Mozambique




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The Challenge

Although endowed with extensive natural resources and an economy rich with potential, Mozambique remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, ranking 185 out of 187 countries on the 2012 Human Development Index. Efforts to achieve the MDGs by 2015 have been undermined by the triple threat of HIV/AIDS prevalence, food insecurity, and weakened governance capacity to deliver basic services.

How We Are Helping?

UNCDF has been helping Mozambique to meet its development challenges through the establishment of a strong inclusive finance sector. In collaboration with UNDP, UNCDF has implemented the Building Inclusive Financial Sector in Mozambique (BIFSMO) programme. The programme supports the institutions that promote pro-poor and sustainable economic development and strengthens community access to business financial services (in particular women and other marginalized groups).

In Mozambique UNCDF is also implementing its Gender Equitable Development (GELD) programme, which advocates for gender-responsive planning, programming and budgeting at the local level, and helps ensure that development policy and public expenditures are gender-equitable.

Moreover, Mozambique is a pilot country of the Making Access Possible Programme (MAP), a diagnostic and programmatic framework to support expanding access to financial services for individuals and micro and small businesses.

In Detail

Project

Building Inclusive Financial Sector in Mozambique (BIFSMO)
Goal To establish a strong inclusive finance sector.
How
  • Supporting implementation of the National Inclusive Finance Policy; 
  • Increasing capacity and opportunities of Financial Service Providers; 
  • Providing grants to Financial Service Providers; 
  • Promoting innovative solutions to reach out rural areas.
Period 2007-2011
Partners UNCDF, UNDP, Government of Mozambique.
Total project cost and UNCDF contribution USD 3,615,260
USD 1,342,379
Project

Gender Equitable Local Development (GELD)
Goal To support gender-responsive planning, programming and budgeting at the local level.
How
  • Offering capital investment grants for gender-responsive development;
  • Empowering women and men to engage in a gender-sensitive way on development issues;
  • Supporting local governance authorities and institutions to deliver services in a gender-responsive way.
Period 2009-2012
Partners UNCDF, UN Women, Governments of Belgium and Austria.
Total project cost and UNCDF contribution USD 8,123,953
USD 7,848,000
Project

Making Access Possible
Goal To support expanding access to financial services for individuals and micro and small businesses
How
  • UNCDF intends to develop financial inclusion roadmaps in 22 developing countries over the next six years, while contributing to learning and dialogue at the international level. Criteria for country selection include state of exclusion, initial country buy-in and identification of champions (i.e. central bank), donor commitment to support MAP agenda, and links to UNCDF programming. UNCDF will seek to undertake financial roadmaps in LDCs as well as some carefully targeted non-LDCs, in a mix of countries that provide geographic diversity, development stages, and levels of complexity.
  • Initially, six to seven countries will serve as pilots, and are likely to include Thailand (in partnership with the Asian Development Bank), Myanmar and Nepal in Asia, and Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Congo DRC in Africa. Beyond 2013, potential MAP countries include Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana in Africa; The Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in Asia; and possibly Tunisia in MENA.
  • Lessons from these initial experiences will be drawn up at a workshop in 2013, and the MAP diagnostic and framework will be revised accordingly. A technical assistance virtual hub will be established to support the implementation of the MAP agenda. Based in UNCDF’s Africa regional office, it will be headed by UNCDF and will include FinMark Trust and Cenfri. Depending on demand, additional UNCDF MAP focal points may be established over time.
Period 2012-2013
Partners FinMark Trust and Cenfri
Total project cost and UNCDF contribution 885,310 USD
488,838 USD