The government, through the president of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (INGD), Luísa Meque, recognised this Thursday (8) the importance of the contributions of the international community in responding to the adversities that have hit the country, highlighting, among others, the support of Japan, according to Lusa.
“Cooperation with Japan dates back to the beginnings of independence and has been decisive in the government’s efforts to pursue the goals of economic, social and sustainable development,” said Luísa Meque, in Maputo, at the signing ceremony of the agreement to grant Japanese food assistance to the World Food Programme (WFP), destined for the province of Cabo Delgado.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
“It should be noted that within the framework of bilateral cooperation in recent years, the Risk and Disaster Management and Reduction sector has benefited from various forms of support,” explained Luísa Meque, regarding Japan’s support.
“In 2019, support for the victims of Cyclone Idai totalled 436.4 million meticals, in 2022, financial aid totalled 335.2 million meticals for humanitarian assistance, and in 2022, to respond to the plan between the government and cooperation partners, the Government of Japan contributed 113.8 million meticals for humanitarian assistance,” she stressed.
The 2018-19 rainy season was one of the most severe on record in Mozambique: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the biggest ever to hit the country.
In the first quarter of last year, heavy rains and Cyclone Freddy caused 306 deaths, affected more than 1.3 million people, destroyed 236,000 homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official government figures.
In the agreement signed on Thursday (8), the Japanese government disbursed 126.5 million meticals to the WFP to provide food aid to 48,000 internally displaced people in Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique.
“This timely contribution will make it possible to support the country’s most vulnerable populations by distributing rice and tinned food from Japan to around 48,000 internally displaced people in Cabo Delgado province over a period of six months,” the WFP previously explained.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing terrorist attacks by groups associated with the Islamic State for over six years, which have caused more than 1.2 million displaced people, according to official figures, as well as the effects of climate change, such as floods.
In addition, in July the Norwegian government disbursed 208.7 million meticals to the WFP, in this case for the strengthening of food systems adapted to climate change and the expansion of school feeding programmes in the south of the country, a project to be implemented in six districts in the provinces of Gaza and Inhambane.
At the end of September, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi called on the population and organisations to prepare for the foreseeable effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the coming months, with forecasts of above-normal rainfall and outbreaks of drought throughout the country.