Minister-President Jan Jambon and the ambassador of Mozambique, Berta Cossa, paid a joint visit to the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp. The visit started with a thorough introduction to the scientific and social added value, organization and functioning of the institute. The vision of the future and the associated challenges, needs and wishes of ITM were also discussed.

Furthermore, a declaration of intent was signed in which Flanders and Mozambique formally and mutually commit themselves to the implementation of the new country strategy paper for development cooperation between the two governments. This commitment entails an investment of 25 million euros in the period 2021-2025.

At the signing, the Minister-President stated the following:

“I am convinced that with this new country strategy paper and by radically strengthening the health system at national and provincial level, Mozambique and Flanders will not only set up an important collaboration to make Mozambique more resilient to the impact of the current and upcoming health crisis. At the same time, with our new collaboration, we can demonstrate that access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is also possible and important for vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities or HIV, internally displaced persons, adolescents and members of sexual and gender minorities in Mozambique.”

Ambassador Cossa expressed her great satisfaction with the cooperation between Flanders and Mozambique, which has now been in existence for twenty years. The theme and specific emphases in the new country strategy paper, which were established together with the Mozambican government, will undoubtedly lead to important results again. The ambassador also invited Flanders to: “Propose the successful Flemish-Mozambican cooperation on the equally sensitive and important theme of access to sexual and reproductive health and rights to other partners, including African governments, as best practice in order to help to lift existing taboos around this.”

Finally, the director of the ITM, Mr. Marc-Alain Widdowson, pointed out that the many years of cooperation between his Institute and the National Health Institute of Mozambique (INS) is exemplary for ITM's aim to develop a horizontal and therefore more productive cooperative relationship with a partner in the South. This has not only strengthened INS, but certainly also ITM.

Photo © ITG