The population of the northern region of the country will benefit from a significant improvement in the conditions of their lives, following the implementation of the Northern Mozambique Urban Development Project (PDUNM), to be developed by the Government, in partnership with the World Bank.

The initiative aims to improve land-use planning, empower local communities through their engagement in the process of building their homes, promote the construction of basic infrastructure and social facilities, and improve housing for the vulnerable population through the distribution of building material kits.

In a first phase, the project, which was officially launched on Friday, July 22, in Nacala, Nampula province, on the sidelines of the 8th Coordinating Council of the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources (MOPHRH), will cover the municipalities of Pemba and Montepuez, in Cabo Delgado province, and Nampula and Nacala Porto, in Nampula province.

At the launch, the minister in charge, Carlos Mesquita, said that this is an integrated project that, besides improving housing, also contemplates the improvement in the access to basic infrastructures, such as, water, electricity, drainage ditches, as well as the improvement in the access to social equipments, such as nurseries, elementary school, health centers, markets, and community centers.

"Overall, the project will benefit about 40,000 people with improved houses, as well as about 324,000 people who will benefit from basic infrastructure and social equipment," said the minister, adding that the project's implementation margin will generate other indirect benefits, such as the generation of fixed and seasonal jobs, institutional capacity building in the beneficiary municipalities, among others.

On the occasion, the governor of Nampula province, Manuel Rodrigues, indicated that in the cities of Nampula and Nacala there are some challenges, such as those related to land-use planning, accentuated soil erosion and water-borne diseases, namely malaria and diarrhea, which continue to be the main reason for the demand for health services, thus contributing to poor urban development.

"Despite the Government's efforts, characterized by the awareness campaign and distribution of mosquito nets, the number of cases of these two diseases tends to increase annually: for example, from 2020 to 2021, malaria cases increased by 9%. A similar situation was recorded for diarrhea, which increased by 10%," he stressed.

For his part, the governor of Cabo Delgado province, Valige Tauabo, said that the cities of Pemba and Montepuez require urgent intervention, given their rapid urban growth, with negative impacts visibly exposed, in terms of land-use planning and provision of public services to the population.

"Due to the terrorist attacks, these two cities have significantly increased in population numbers, with the presence of displaced families from the northern and central districts.

The population overpopulation in these cities demands from the local authorities, redoubled efforts, in the sense of identifying new housing areas, requalification of the existing areas, besides the enlargement of the services offer to guarantee a better quality of life for the citizens", concluded Valige Tauabo.