Belgian Development minister signs €25 million cooperation programme in Mozambique

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Belgian Development minister signs €25 million cooperation programme in Mozambique

8:19 CAT | 21 Jun 2023

Belgian minister of Development Cooperation Caroline Gennez picturedand Mozambican minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Veronica Macamo [Photo: Belga/Bo Bouilliaert]

After a journey of more than 16 hours, Belgian minister of Development Cooperation Caroline Gennez arrived in the Mozambican capital Maputo on Tuesday afternoon. That same afternoon, she and Mozambique’s Foreign minister Verónica Macamo signed a new cooperation programme worth 25 million euros.

The programme, which runs from 2023 to 2028, should help Mozambique on its way to making its economy more climate-friendly by focusing on green energy, and supports a sustainable waste management programme. Two and a half million euros of the budget will be allocated to compensation for loss and damages caused by man-made climate change. The Brussels Capital Region will contribute an additional one million euros for new drinking water facilities.

READ: Belgium: Minister Caroline Gennez in Mozambique to launch a new cooperation program aimed at combating climate change

Overlooking the Maputo-Ketembe bridge and the Umbeluzi River, the ministers spoke on Tuesday about the challenges facing the southeast African country. “The people of Mozambique will never forget Belgium’s support in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mozambican minister Macamo said. She outlined the political and economic situation, but the conversation focused mainly on the impact of the climate crisis.

Cyclones

In 2019, cyclones Idai and Kenneth killed more than 600 people in Mozambique. In February and March this year, the country was further hit by Freddy, the longest-lasting cyclone ever recorded. The government is now trying to take preventive measures – by moving people into lower-lying areas and advising people to build more climate-resistant houses – but the warnings often come too late. Mozambique is in a very critical position, Macamo stressed.

Later in the day, Minister Gennez had a bilateral meeting scheduled with Mozambique’s minister of Land and Environment Ivete Maibaze and deputy minister of Finance Carla Louveira.

Source: Belga News Agency