Gorongosa — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Friday called on the population of the Nhamadze administrative post, in the central province of Sofala, to remain persistent in the struggle against poverty.

Speaking at a rally in Nhamadze, at the start of a four day working visit to Sofala, Guebuza also urged the local residents to value the resources the government has put at their disposal through the District Development Fund (FDD).

This is still commonly known as "the seven million", since the initiative began in 2006 as an allocation of seven million meticais (about 197,000 dollars at current exchange rates) to each of the country's 128 districts. The money was to be lent to people who presented viable projects to create jobs and boost food production.

"We are fighting poverty, but this doesn't mean that we have already solved all the problems", said Guebuza. "We have to persist".

As for the District Development Fund, Guebuza acknowledged that the money is not enough to meet the requests of everyone who applies for loans. That, he insisted, was all the more reason for the fund managers to behave in a transparent fashion.

"Those who work with this fund must be transparent", he said. "They must inform the people about everything to do with the management of the fund. It's money that comes from our taxes, and so we must all be informed about how it is being used".

Guebuza was accompanied by several foreign diplomats, and made a point of introducing them to the crowd. Among them was the Algerian ambassador, and Guebuza stressed that Algeria was one of the first countries to support Mozambique is its struggle for independence. Heroes of the national liberation struggle, including the country's first president, Samora Machel, received military training in Algeria.

"A country is like a family that creates friendship, and gives and receives aid from others", said Guebuza. "To overcome difficulties, we first depend on ourselves, but we also need help from our friends".