The Delegation of the European Union and the Member States, namely Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden and France, in partnership with the Association of Finalist University Students of Mozambique (AEFUM), hosted the 2nd Edition of the Academic Event and Scholarship and Professional Opportunities Fair on Wednesday, May 17, as part of the Europe Month celebrations.

The event, which took place on the campus of Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, was attended by the Rector of Eduardo Mondlane University, Guilherme Júnior, and the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Edson Macuacua, members of the academic community and the general public.

With the slogan "For Quality Education, Decent Jobs and Empowered Youth", the event aimed to stimulate a broad debate among young Mozambicans and the embassies of the EU countries represented in Mozambique on education - quality - youth - employment and to present the opportunities for higher education and research in the territory of the European Union.

Speaking at the opening session, the European Union's Ambassador to Mozambique, Antonino Maggiore, reaffirmed the importance that the European Union attaches to the education sector and young people within the framework of the partnership with Mozambique. "As Team Europe, we have joined forces with the Mozambican government to put young people at the heart of the country's transformation processes. To this end, we have defined for our cooperation with Mozambique for the years 2021-2027 a major initiative called e-youth. Through this initiative we support the Education, Employment and Empowerment of young Mozambicans so that they can live, socialize, learn and, above all, build their future with the necessary and appropriate tools for a prosperous and fulfilling life," he said.

In parallel to this event, the Scholarships and Professional Opportunities Fair was held, where member states presented various higher education and academic research programs in Europe.

The aim was to share information and encourage students, as well as higher education institutions, to make use of opportunities in the context of programs such as ErasmusPlus, Horizon Europe and the Academic Mobility Program in Africa.

It should be remembered that within the framework of the European Union's Global Gateway Strategy, the so-called Team Europe Initiatives are being implemented in Mozambique, which, among other sectors, cover the education of young people in terms of promoting digital skills and other competencies.

This type of initiative should stimulate joint interventions between the European Union and Mozambique in order to boost the country in terms of human development and skills.