Mozambique Secures $17M Grant for Recovery and Youth Empowerment in Cabo Delgado.

Friday 18th July 2025

非洲记者报道

PRETORIA, South Africa — The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a $17 million grant to support recovery and resilience in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province through the Resilient Investment for Socio-Economic Empowerment, Peace, and Security (RISE-PS) Project.

The initiative aims to directly create 24,000 jobs, with 60% earmarked for youth and 50% for women, ultimately benefitting over 100,000 people. Cabo Delgado has been severely affected by violent extremism since 2017, displacing over one million people and destroying nearly 5,000 small businesses. Youth unemployment stands at 25%, with young women facing even greater exclusion.

The project will establish a Peace and Security Investment Hub, led by the Northern Integrated Development Agency, to coordinate development and investment across the region. Communities will be involved in choosing priority infrastructure to ensure local needs are addressed.

Key interventions include rehabilitating 150 community facilities, training 9,200 individuals in vocational skills, and awarding grants to 2,000 women and youth-led enterprises. It will also build a climate-smart SME village in Afungi Industrial Hub and engage private sector partners, including TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil, to provide internships for 1,055 youth.

The total project value is $28 million, funded by the African Development Bank, UNDP, Germany, the private sector, and the Government of Mozambique. Implementation begins in September and runs through August 2029. MozParks will lead the SME village construction.

The project targets root causes of extremism and aligns with Mozambique’s national strategy, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and multiple African Development Bank strategies, including Jobs for Youth in Africa.

As security stabilizes and the number of internally displaced people drops, this project offers a lifeline for sustainable development, peacebuilding, and youth empowerment in one of Africa’s most fragile regions.