Minister of Finance Manuel Chang of Mozambique
Chang was speaking to reporters outside the building, where the fire had damaged the sixth and seventh floors, but without taking any lives or causing major damage.
Chang praised the fire fighters who used a fire engine with a long ladder to reach dozens of people trapped on the sixth and seventh floors.
Presenting the budget to the country's parliament on Wednesday, Mozambican Finance Minister Manuel Chang said that total state expenditure for 2007 would be 70.
In an interview, Finance Minister Manuel Chang said almost one million more people, or about five percent of Mozambique's population, would be supplied with power by 2009 under the electrification programme.
Chang said the government would provide grants and concessional credits to EDM and help the utility tap overseas capital markets, but added that the private sector was expected to bear a large share of the cost.
6 billion here on Thursday, Finance Minister Manuel Chang said the figure was a 22 percent increase over the 2007 budget of US$2.
up unsustainable debts is ensuring that over two third, or 68.
Chang said this earmarked 65 percent of total expenditure, which excludes debt servicing and state financial operations, to be spent on the priority areas of poverty reduction, and 35 percent of the budget will cover wages and other government staff costs, goods and services.
Chang said that the debt burden in 2008, when expressed as a percentage of GDP, should decline by 0.
Chang said that, under the old legislation, the body with the power to repress illegal trade in foreign currency was the Bank of Mozambique.
Chang said informal trade in foreign exchange could not be dealt with simply by repressing the traders.
Mozambique wants to attract investment in agriculture and tourism to help it reach an 8 percent economic growth target in 2008, up from an earlier projected 7 percent, Finance Minister Manuel Chang said on Monday.
Chang said the country hoped to raise growth from the 7.
Finance Minister Manuel Chang said that the government target of 8 % growth for this year may have to be reviewed downwards because of the sharp increase in the price of oil.
On what the government is doing to deal with the possibility of continuing hikes in world oil prices, Chang said "we must monitor the real situation and then we will see.
Chang said that by canceling the debt Portugal was acknowledging the achievements of the Mozambican government in the socio-economic development of thecountry.
Chang described the debt cancellation as an acknowledgement by Portugal of the achievements of the Mozambican government in implementing programmes aimed at growth and the socio-economic development of the country.
Chang is optimistic that the IMF will do its utmost best to restore the 11.
While the state's revenues will rise from 33,3-billion meticais in 2007 to 38,8-billion meticais in 2008, there will be a deficit of 50,2-billion meticais -- which Chang said will be covered by foreign aid.
Chang was confident that foreign money will be forthcoming.
Chang said about 48,2% of next year's foreign aid will be channelled towards direct budget support, while 51,2% will be earmarked for specific programmes and projects.