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Nyusi makes a statement to the nation following the passage of Tropical Cyclone Freddy
Photo: AIM
The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, announced today that the government will allocate 250 million meticais (about US$3.9 million) to the central province of Zambézia to ensure the rapid recovery of education and health services, among others, whose infrastructures were severely damaged by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
The Mozambican head of state, who announced the support today in a communication to the nation, explained that the amount will be managed by the provincial government. It is part of a number of measures taken by the Executive with aim of mitigating the negative impact of the passage of ‘Freddy’.
“At the national level, we are going to create a Technical-Scientific Commission as a consultation body for matters related to climate change, including extreme weather events, analysing the causes, effects and impacts and recommending solutions for their prevention, mitigation and adaptation,” President Nyusi announced, emphasizing that, for this purpose, it was appropriate to capitalize on the experience the Technical-Scientific Commission could gain from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The measures also include the creation of a permanent post-cyclone reconstruction office and the immediate carrying out of a damage assessment operation, followed by the mobilization of internal and external resources for rehabilitation or reconstruction in the districts affected. “The Ministry of Education and Human Development (MINEDH) will work hard to ensure that students can return to classes safely by the end of the current month,” the head of state said.
President Nyusi also announced that Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) and Aeroportos de Moçambique (ADM) will transport without cost emergency products of up to 500 kg on flights to the affected areas until the 20th of March. “In the area of transport, we are also going to reduce the stay rate for ships and maritime services to 25 percent for 60 days, and reduce by 50 percent the cargo handling and cabotage tariff for services especially for humanitarian aid, also for 60 days,” he pledged.
The labour and social security sector will support pensioners in Zambézia with material for the reconstruction of their homes, President Nyusi announced, and, within the scope of their social responsibility obligations, Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) ENH, the Instituto Nacional de Petróleos (INP) and Petromoc will mobilize, in agreement with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), 10 million meticais to support the urgent rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure. As with the floods in the district of Boane, driving license renewal costs for those in the province proven to be affected will be suspended.
The communication to the nation was made within the scope of a one-day working visit to Zambézia made by the President of the Republic to assess for himself the damage caused by ‘Freddy’.
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