The United Kingdom and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have called on Mozambique to strengthen the use of demographic data in public policymaking and to align youth skills development with labour market needs, in order to convert population growth into employment and economic opportunity. The positions were presented on Wednesday in Maputo, at the Conference on Population and Development in Mozambique.

UK Deputy High Commissioner Louise Walker argued that having a predominantly young population does not, on its own, guarantee the realisation of a demographic dividend. "We need to know where young people are, what skills they need, and where the jobs of the future can come from," she said, adding that demographic data can help connect people with opportunities and direct investment according to the country's needs and potential.

Walker highlighted UK support for the production and analysis of demographic information in Mozambique, citing collaboration with the National Statistics Institute (INE) on thematic analyses from the 2017 General Population and Housing Census, as well as the Demographic Transition Programme launched in 2021. She noted that this data contributed to the formulation of the National Development Strategy 2025–44 and the Government Five-Year Programme 2025–29, and underscored the importance of the next census, scheduled for 2027.

The British official added that cooperation between the two countries should seek to strengthen investment mobilisation and support economic reforms, with a focus on economic diversification and the development of sectors and value chains capable of generating employment at scale. "With better data, we can help transform the potential of a young population into growth, investment and jobs," she said.

UNFPA Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Wong Young Hong, argued that human capital development must be directly linked to the creation of productive employment. "It is not just about education, but about connecting skills development to industrialisation, agricultural transformation, economic diversification and entrepreneurship," she said, identifying these areas as fundamental to enabling young people to contribute to and benefit from economic growth.

The UNFPA official also identified investment in girls, keeping them in school, combating early marriage, preventing adolescent pregnancy and ensuring voluntary access to family planning as priorities for expanding women's economic opportunities. She called for sustainable national financing, results-oriented investments and attention to the most vulnerable communities, stressing the indispensable need for "timely, reliable and high-quality data".

Wong Young Hong argued that the recommendations of the Conference must translate into a roadmap with measurable targets, clear responsibilities, defined timelines and financing integrated into national plans and budgets. "The demographic opportunity window will not remain open forever. Mozambique's future depends on the decisions we make today," she warned, appealing for investment in youth to secure prosperity for future generations.