By Jorge Joaquim The government has acknowledged that around 11% of donations to Mozambique to contribute to its fight against covid-19 in 2020 were used irregularly, according to a new report. The report, which is available to read on the Ministry of Finance’s website, states that most of the irregularities relate to contracting processes, failings in the accountability process, irregular payment of per diems to officials, and ineligible expenses — some €30m out of the total €285m spent on covid-19 measures by the Mozambican state in 2020 is in question. Almost all of the amount in question relates to “payments that did not observe the legally established procurement procedures”, amounting to about 28 million euros for the rehabilitation and construction of toilets in schools and improving water supply systems. Although some of the irregularities have been cleared by an audit by the Administrative Court, the government has promised to increase supervision and training procedures to avoid such irregularities in the future. The donor fund for Mozambique’s response plan to Covid-19 received contributions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank, World Bank, European Union (EU), United States and the Global Fund. Mozambique gained one point in the Corruption Perception Index 2021, released earlier this year by Transparency International, which allowed it to rise from 149th to 147th position. Despite the improvement in relation to the 2020 edition, the country is in the group of those that have fallen most in sub-Saharan Africa – alongside the Republic of Congo, Malawi, Madagascar, Liberia and Zambia – by accumulating six points lost since 2012, notes the organisation.