Mozambique and Burkina Faso have got substantial amount of aid from Switzerland meant to be used in broad-based growth.
Yesterday the Federal Council of Switzerland decided to grant Burkina Faso and Mozambique general budgetary assistance of CHF 32 million(equivalent of about 33 million US dollars), each for the years 2013 to 2016.
The money is meant to support both countries in implementation of their poverty reduction strategies, which focus on broad-based and sustainable growth.
Unlike most African countries where aid money is misappropriated, Burkina Faso and Mozambique have in recent years displayed on-going macroeconomic stability, robust economic growth and a substantial increase in own revenues.
Progress has also been made in social issues such as education, healthcare and water supply. Poverty reduction has seen only limited success, however, and both countries still need to catch up considerably, particularly in terms of basic infrastructure and economic diversification.
Switzerland has cooperated with Burkina Faso and Mozambique for many years. It enjoys high visibility and is well regarded within policy dialogue for its expertise in core areas of the reform agenda and the predictability and far-sightedness of its interventions.
