Mozambique: Japan provides €9m to rebuild Natete bridge

The Japanese Government announced on Friday the disbursement of 1.691 billion yen (€9 million) for the reconstruction of the Natete bridge in Ribáue district, aimed at strengthening the strategic Nacala Corridor in Nampula province, northern Mozambique.

The support, channelled through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), was formally approved in Maputo on Friday with the signing of the exchange of notes and the respective grant agreements between Mozambique, Japan and the Japanese cooperation agency.

JICA’s Deputy Resident Representative in Mozambique, Takahashi Sulimara, said the agreement was “another demonstration of the strong friendship and cooperation between Japan and Mozambique, built over several decades and based on shared values of sustainable development, prosperity and well-being”.

“Following the discussions and outcomes of TICAD 9 [Tokyo International Conference on African Development], which reaffirmed the importance of the development of the Nacala Corridor to strengthening connectivity and logistical efficiency in the region, JICA is pleased to celebrate the signing this Friday of the grant agreement for the Natete bridge reconstruction project in Nampula province,” she said.

According to the official, the Natete bridge reconstruction project represents the “joint commitment” of the two countries to strengthening regional connectivity, facilitating trade and promoting resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

“The project includes the construction of a bridge, as well as works to improve access roads and protect the riverbanks,” she explained, adding that the infrastructure would “improve the mobility of people and goods, increase infrastructure resilience to climate change and strengthen the region’s economic integration”.

The Japanese Government’s support also included the signing of a 258 million yen (€1.3 million) grant agreement for the Human Resources Development Scholarship Project (JDS), a postgraduate programme for 40 Mozambican public servants which has already trained around 20 state officials.

Regarding the programme, Sulimara stressed that JICA attaches “great importance to human capital development, recognising it as a fundamental element in the development of a nation”, and explained that the initiative would allow “up to 10 Mozambican public servants to pursue postgraduate studies at Japanese universities every year”.

For his part, Japan’s Ambassador to Mozambique, Hamada Keiji, placed the two projects within the commitments made by Tokyo at TICAD.

“Japan announced that it would accelerate efforts to train human resources and promote exchanges with a focus on young people and women,” he said.

The diplomat also highlighted Japan’s focus on the Nacala Corridor, which is considered strategic for the region.

“The Nacala Corridor is important not only for the development of northern Mozambique, but also for strengthening the link between Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and the Indian Ocean,” he said, expressing the hope that the new Natete bridge would help “ensure safer and more stable movement of people and goods”.

In her remarks, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Mozambican Community Abroad Maria Manso noted that the bridge now being funded by Japan will replace the infrastructure built in 2014, also with Japanese support, which was damaged by extreme weather events.

“The bridge construction project aims to create new road infrastructure with greater resistance and outside the reach of floodwaters during the floods and inundations that have become frequent in our country,” Manso said.