IGM panel at WIDER Development Conference May 2024

From 14–16 May 2024, UNU-WIDER organized the WIDER Development Conference The world at crossroads – securing the future generations, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Maputo, Mozambique. The conference gathered renowned researchers and policymakers to discuss the greatest development challenges of our time, and actions needed to safeguard future generations.

One highlight of the conference was the panel session entitled ‘Unlocking inclusive growth in Mozambique’, organized by the Inclusive Growth in Mozambique (IGM) programme, held on 14 May. The panel focused on key development questions in Mozambique, showcasing the critical role of policy-relevant research to inform evidence-based policymaking, as produced under the IGM programme.

The panel discussion was chaired by Haroon Borat (Professor of Economics and Director of the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) at the University of Cape Town), and included opening statements from Enilde Sarmento, National Director at the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Mozambique, and Haakon Gram-Johannessen, Ambassador of Norway in Mozambique. 

During her opening statement, Enilde Sarmento highlighted the challenges Mozambique faces in the process of sustaining inclusive economic growth, including but not limited to high rates of poverty and inequality, the limited role of social protection programmes, natural resources management challenges, and constraints on public investment.

The panel included various high-level speakers, including:

• Jorge Ferrão, Rector of the Pedagogical University, who focused on the education sector and its importance for economic growth
• Jaime Comiche, Representative of UNIDO in Mozambique, who discussed the conflict in Northern Mozambique and its effect on the inclusive development prospects for the country, highlighting a need to look at the deep causes of the conflic
• Prof. Ingrid Woolard, Stellenbosch University, who shed light on the possible relation between population growth and the country’s future development
• Sam Jones, UNU-WIDER Research Fellow, representing the IGM programme, gave insights on the tensions between the country’s vulnerability to climate shocks and Mozambique’s the large gas reserves, as well as the need for the country to continue to diversify beyond gas exploration
• Ivan Manhique, an ex-IGM trainee who now works as Research and Policy Officer at LSE-IGC, who highlighted the importance of addressing the various vulnerabilities of Mozambique to external shocks in view of securing sustainable development and growth.

The panel session gained the attention of local media outlets, including Jornal Notícias, O País, STV, TVM, Televisão de Moçambique, and the UEM website.