Policy and programmes to alleviate urban poverty: approaches and the Mozambican experience

The twelve cities of Mozambique have a total population of three million. It is estimated that half of this population (200,000 households) are absolutely poor. The poverty line which is used to determine absolute poverty is $US15 per capita per month. Households which have expenditures lower than the equivalent of US $ 15 per capita are not able to meet minimum nutritional requirements (2,000 Kcal per capita per day). It is further estimated that 30% of all urban households have to live on expenditures per capita which are under 67% of the poverty line (US$10). These households are not only absolutely poor, but destitute. They face severe hunger which affects their ability to work and endangers the health especially of the more vulnerable members of these households (eg children, pregnant and lactadng mothers).

A conference paper on policy options pursued to alleviate urban poverty in Mozambique.