Kato highlights progress in Mozambique, Zambia

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Page 236

During a visit to Mozambique, July 24-27, IMF Deputy Managing Director Takatoshi Kato lauded the work of Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça, a health research institute that, he said, is providing groundbreaking research on the region's most critical diseases and helping improve health conditions in Mozambique. Kato told reporters that the IMF is very concerned about endemic diseases, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis, which have had a serious negative effect on African economies.

In meetings with President Armando Guebuza, Prime Minister Luisa Diogo, and other senior officials, Kato congratulated the country on its impressive progress in recent years, noting that sound macroeconomic policies had provided a solid underpinning for the economy's growth at an annual average 8 percent-a rate "well above its regional peers"-and declining inflation rates. To sustain this performance, he added, Mozambique needs to strengthen its revenue performance and pursue second-generation reforms focused on strengthening institutions and removing obstacles to private sector activity, so that the country can make a lasting reduction in poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

On the second leg of his trip...