Mozambique: Norway to support Gorongosa Park with €5.6M in new three-year agreement

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Mozambique: Norway to support Gorongosa Park with €5.6M in new three-year agreement

1:57 CAT | 30 Sep 2025

Photo: Gorongosa National Park /Facebook

The Norwegian government will provide 427 million meticais (€5.6 million) for activities in Gorongosa National Park (GNP), in Sofala province, central Mozambique, the protected area has announced.

According to a statement from Gorongosa Park, the three-year agreement signed with Norway aims to continue the country’s support for the park’s restoration, support girls in the region to stay in school, and help local farmers and youth.

“We are grateful to Norway—and all our donors and partners—for their generosity in protecting Gorongosa and empowering its communities in the years to come,” the park said in the statement.

In turn, the Norwegian Embassy in Maputo said in a statement that Gorongosa, once “devastated by war”, is now an example of how conservation and communities can go hand in hand.

“This agreement will support girls to stay in school, farmers to increase their incomes through the production of coffee, cashew and honey, and young people to find new opportunities in conservation and ecotourism,” reads the statement from the Norwegian Embassy.

The Norwegian Ambassador, Egil Thorsas, quoted in the document, said the signing of the agreement is a symbol of the shared commitment to a brighter future for Gorongosa and its people.

Gorongosa was Portugal’s first national park in 1960, during the colonial era, but was torn apart between 1977 and 1992 by the civil war that followed Mozambique’s independence.

In 2008, American philanthropist Greg Carr’s foundation signed a 20-year park management agreement with the Mozambican government—extending it for another 25 years in 2018—which has led to the renewal of Gorongosa on several fronts. Social projects have been combined with conservation efforts, and the number of animals has increased from 10,000 to over 102,000.

The park has 1,700 staff, including seasonal workers, and a force of wildlife rangers operating across the territory. Gorongosa coffee and honey are already being produced for export, providing income for thousands of families.

Source: Lusa