20091222
allafrica

Maputo — The central Mozambican government on Monday handed over responsibility for most education, health, commerce and industry in Maputo to the City Council, as part of the government's decentralization policy.

The governor of the city, Rosa da Silva, who represents the central government structures in the city, signed four agreements with the Mayor of Maputo, David Simango, under which, from 1 January, the City Council will take responsibility for 150 primary schools, some 30 health units, and 787 commercial and micro-industrial units.

"We are fully aware that the challenges are enormous", said Silva. "In education, more than 5,000 teaching and non-teaching staff and 150 public and privately owned primary schools will fall under the management of the municipality. Likewise in health, more than 30 health posts and over 500 doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff will also be under municipal management".

As for the industrial and commercial premises, most of these are privately owned, but they will now fall under municipal jurisdiction.

"This reality will demand from all of us commitment and dedication", said Silva, "and the common denominator is providing services of quality to the citizens of Maputo".

Simango said the City Council was ready to accept its new responsibilities. "Everything's in hand", he said. "The staff and the institutions that will now be managed by the City Council come with their own resources, and so we will not need to make great efforts to seek new resources. But we must work hard to comply with the objectives of the agreement - which are to provide better services for our citizens".

Maputo is the first of the country's 43 municipalities to experience this transfer of powers from the central state to the local authority