Mozambique: "Visible improvement" but still a long way to go

Efforts to tackle poverty in Mozambique have made progress with the authorities this week reporting a "visible" improvement in social services delivery. At a meeting with donors on Monday to review the country's anti-poverty programme, officials noted a drop in household poverty from 69 percent in 2000 to 54 percent in 2003. "Progress was especially visible in improvements in health care, education, and access to potable water," Prime Minister Luísa Diogo reportedly told journalists in the capital, Maputo, after the meeting. However, despite the gains, the country still faced formidable challenges, Diogo added.