After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, Mozambique suffered 17 years of civil war. Since 1992, it has counted as one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, 70 percent of the population still live in absolute poverty. The war had devastating effects on the country’s social infrastructure. However, Mozambique’s economic and social situation has improved considerably since the peace settlement. Over the last decade, the economy has grown by 6 percent on average, one of the highest growth rates in Africa. The school enrolment rate has also improved dramatically, rising to 92 percent in 2004. An important step was the successful multi-party elections that were held at national and local level.

This progress has been achieved with considerable support from the international donor community. Mozambique was one of the first countries to adopt a poverty reduction strategy, and is moving closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Not least for this reason, the German Government selected Mozambique as one of four countries to receive additional support, on poverty reduction within the framework of the Program of Action 2015.

Mozambican-German cooperation began in 1985. The situation then called for a focus on food security, reconstruction, dealing with the aftermath of the war, and poverty reduction programmes. Development Cooperation currently concentrates on three priority areas:

• Primary education and vocational training
• Decentralisation for rural development
• Economic reform and development of the market system