Maputo — About 6.5 million US dollars are available for resilience projects in the communities plagued by natural disasters and terrorism in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

The amount will be disbursed by the South Korean Cooperation Agency (KOIKA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the project will be carried out by Mozambique's Disaster Management Institute (INGD).

According to Teresa Pinto, INGD Administration and Finance Director, the projects may directly benefit about 343,000 people in the central provinces of Manica and Sofala, and the northern provinces of Nampula, Niassa, and Cabo Delgado.

"The initiative will complement the government's efforts in adaptation to climate change, as well as assist local governments in the prevention of multidimensional risks', Pinto said on Tuesday in Maputo, during the signature of the financial agreement.

Pinto believes that the project, named "Resilience Disasters Promotion and Social Cohesion in Mozambique's Central and Northern Regions', will have a positive impact in the communities, taking into account the strategic priorities for Mozambique's development, as specified in the Government Five-Year Progamme (2019-2024), the Disasters Risk Reduction Plan (2017-2030), as well as the strategy for Internally Displaced People, approved in 2021.

"We hope that the agreement will help the communities in preventing and responding to disasters', she said.

For her part, Christy Ahenkora, the UNDP resident representative in Mozambique, said that the projects are part of the Sustainable Development Objectives, focused on benefiting the communities.

"We acknowledge the work that has been carried out by the INGD in the creation of resilience for the communities', she said.