The Belgian government yesterday made 25 million euros available for a climate change resilience program in Mozambique, as part of a five-year cooperation agreement signed in Maputo.

"I am happy to be able to sign the bilateral agreement between our two countries for the fight against climate change. We will support Mozambique with 25 million euros over five years," said Caroline Gennez, Belgium's Minister for Development Cooperation and Major Cities, quoted by Lusa.

The Belgian leader, who is on a four-day visit to Mozambique, was speaking yesterday in Maputo after signing the agreement with the Mozambican Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo.

The amount is to be implemented between 2023 and 2028 by the Belgian Development Agency.

The Mozambican government, for its part, said that cooperation between the two countries would help Mozambique to "better deal with climate change", referring to cyclones Freddy, Keneth and Ana that have hit the country in recent years.

"We express our appreciation for the ambitious development program that strengthens Mozambique's institutional capacity for the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy," said Verónica Macamo.

The Belgian minister arrived in Mozambique today for a visit that will last until Friday and which will also include a visit to Belgian-funded projects in Gaza province, in the south of the country.

It should be noted that Mozambique is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world, and in recent years the scenario has tended to worsen due to the increase in cyclones and storms, especially in the central and northern regions of the country.