The US government has announced that it has 100 million dollars available for coastal protection in the provinces of Nampula in the north, Zambézia and Sofala in central Mozambique. The amount was made available under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact for climate resilience.

According to the Mozambican Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, the implementers of the coastal protection project, which will benefit around 1,500 people in the coastal regions of the provinces of Nampula, Sofala and Zambézia, have already been found.

"It's a joint partnership between the Mozambican state, the US state, the local communities, the organizations involved in this case, selected on the basis of an international public tender, Biofund and Proazul. The resources mobilized are 500 million dollars provided in the form of donations by the Millennium Challenge Corporation and 37 million dollars contributed by the Mozambican state. Of this package, 100 million dollars will be dedicated to this third initiative", said Max Tonela, quoted by the RFI.

For his part, the US ambassador to Mozambique, Peter Vrooman, wants a serious commitment from the parties involved in the project for the sake of the communities.

"This partnership is based on transparency, inclusion and impact. It will protect those communities from the theft and misappropriation of resources that happens so often such as overfishing, mining practices that degrade and destroy," concluded Peter Vrooman.

Biofund and Proazul, the two entities entrusted with carrying out the coastal protection projects, guarantee improvements in the quality of life of the beneficiary communities.