Africa-Press – Mozambique. Spain will provide 47 million euros for development projects in Mozambique under the new framework cooperation agreement between the two countries until 2024, the Spanish embassy in Maputo announced on Monday.
“Of these 47 million euros, 15 million will be for Cabo Delgado, which will be added to the 11 million euros in ongoing projects in the province,” the statement read.
Cabo Delgado will be the main province to receive projects and funding, which will also reach the other northern regions of Nampula and Niassa.
Spanish cooperation will continue to work “as a priority in the north and south of the country, historical areas of action, and where 70 percent of Spanish funding is currently implemented, with a high presence of NGOs and bilateral cooperation,” the statement added.
Another important part of the Spanish support, amounting to 11 million euros, will be delivered via the European Union (EU) to fight corruption and adapt to climate change
Spain continues to point to the Centro de Investigación en Salud de Manhiça (CISM) as a “flagship project”, which aims to seek solutions to “the main communicable diseases affecting Mozambique and developing countries”.
The new framework of association between the countries was signed Thursday at the headquarters of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Madrid by the Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela, and the Mozambican deputy minister for Foreign Affairs, Manuel Gonçalves.
The signing took place alongside the seventh meeting of the Joint Hispano-Mozambican Cooperation Commission.
“The humanitarian action of Spanish Cooperation will give fundamental importance to the respect of humanitarian principles and the protection of the rights of people affected by disasters such as cyclones and droughts.
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but has been terrorised since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
The conflict has led to more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 817,000 displaced people, according to Mozambican authorities.
