Mozambique's ambassador to Algeria said yesterday in Maputo that cooperation between the two countries covers the pharmaceutical sector, as well as the recently expressed interest in the energy sector.

According to Salvador Namburete, collaboration in the area of health should boost the production of medicines in Mozambique, in order to reduce drug imports and also reduce state costs.

"... but we are also working on developing the pharmaceutical industry, so that we can move away from being almost 100 percent dependent on imported medicines, and gradually start producing medicines domestically, which will greatly cut the costs of using foreign currency and the costs of the products themselves," he said.

According to the diplomat, as part of economic diplomacy, there are several Mozambican students training in Algeria in medicine, engineering and hydrocarbons.

"The students taking these courses are taking advantage of the opportunity to transfer this knowledge to Mozambique. This is a great opportunity for us to cooperate with Algeria," he said.