APA-Maputo(Mozambique) Some 19 countries who give direct financial support to Mozambique\’s state budget have pledged to provide the country with US$774.3 million in grants for 2009 national budget, APA learnt here Wednesday.

The representative of the Programme Aid Partners (PAP), Frank Sheridan, told reporters in Maputo that the amount would be split in two chunks : US$455.2 million in direct budgetary support and US$329.1 million in common funds and sector programmes.

Sheridan said that the fall in the value of the US dollar had contributed significantly to the rise in value of the aid, as compared to last year when it totalled US$627 million, adding that there were areas that were assessed positively by the donors, specifically management of public finances and macroeconomic management in general, particularly in the area of taxation, he said.

The PAP showed some concern about performance in the area of governance, particularly the lack of indicators to show progress in the fight against corruption.

“The delayed presentation of accounts on two sensitive indicators in this area by the Justice Ministry sector affected the confidence of the donors in terms of lack of transparency of the joint revision,\" said Sheridan.

The G19 groups Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the European Commission, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, the World Bank and the African Development Bank.