Four financing agreements for Mozambique to promote trade, biodiversity, agro-business and transport were signed in Maputo on Thursday, according to the European Union delegation in Mozambique.
Worth a total of 217 million euros, the agreements are part of the PROMOVE programme and cover four key areas: facilitation of trade, sustainable management of natural resources, promotion of sustainable agriculture and agro-business, and roads in rural areas.
In a statement, the delegation said that signing the agreement was one of the highlights of the visit to Mozambique by the Director-General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission, Stefano Manservisi, within the framework of cooperation between the European Union and Mozambique.
PROMOVE Comércio, with a budget of 12 million euros, aims to facilitate trade and improve the business environment, PROMOVE Biodiversidade, with 13 million euros, aims to protect biodiversity and improve the livelihoods of rural communities thanks to the sustainable management of natural resources and PROMOVE Agribiz, with 68 million euros, will focus on supporting the development of sustainable small-scale commercial agriculture and improving productivity.
Finally, PROMOVE Transporte, with 124 million euros, is part of the European Union’s overall approach to rural development under the 11th European Development Fund, focusing on the recovery of rural roads in the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula.
Financial support is granted under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). The four components of the PROMOVE programme are centred on the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula, each of which has more than 60% of its population dependent on subsistence farming, marked by low yields and low returns.
