Africa-Press – Mozambique. Norway and Mozambique are reinforcing cooperation between the two countries in the field of ocean management. For this purpose, Mozambique’s Minister of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique, Lídia de Fátima da Graça Cardoso and Norway’s Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Ocean Collaboration.
The signing ceremony took place in the port of Maputo on-board the research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen. Mozambique has participated in the EAF-Nansen marine research program since 1976, during which time the vessel has visited Mozambique 12 times.
The EAF-Nansen Programme “Supporting the Application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management considering Climate and Pollution Impacts” is an initiative to support the implementation of the ecosystem approach in the management of marine fisheries. The aim is to promote sustainable utilization of marine living resources and improved protection of the marine environment. The program is executed by FAO in close collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) of Bergen, Norway and funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
Regarding the MoU signed on Tuesday, the general objective of cooperation in the field of ocean management is to contribute to an environment conducive to sustainable social and economic development, including improving the food security, nutrition and livelihoods by increasing the production and consumption of aquatic foods.
The new MoU is an important step towards the next phase in cooperation between the two countries, which has four main components: integrated marine management, environment, fisheries and aquaculture research and statistics.
The establishment of the ‘Oceans for Development’ program, for which Mozambique was chosen as a pilot country, is incorporated in the Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday.
“It is, moreover, the consolidation of a cooperation that dates back to the beginnings of national independence, since when Norway has contributed in various ways to increasing the ability of Mozambicans to manage their ocean and its resources,” Minister Cardoso said.
“Mozambique and Norway are ocean nations,” Minister Tvinnereim added. “We have many common interests and challenges. The oceans have enormous potential to enhance food security and sustainable economic development. Building a sustainable ocean economy is therefore a central feature of Norwegian development cooperation. Therefore, we were very pleased when, in 2020, we received a request from the Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique (MIMAIP) to expand our cooperation to include the Oceans for Development program.”
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