Mozambican and Irish governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Maputo on Monday, under which the two countries will collaborate closely in the promotion of women’s and girls’ rights, as well as gender empowerment.
Ireland will assist the Mozambican government in raising funds to ensure that gender capacity building is implemented at the Women’s Empowerment Centre (CEM) in Maputo’s southern province.
The centre, which occupies an area of 23 hectares, attaches priority to courses with great potential to boost women’s economic entrepreneurship and self-employment such as literacy, dress-making, professional photography, interior decoration, agriculture, poultry farming, cooking, craftsmanship and others.
The Mozambican Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Nyeleti Mondlane, who highlighted the great strides taken in the fields of female education and professional training, health and reproductive and sexual rights, and participation in leadership posts, warned of continuing challenges in areas such as gender-based violence, child marriage and poverty.
“The centre will offer a wide range of training areas, such as commerce, agriculture, fishing, service delivery, health, and nutrition,” she said.
The Irish High Commissioner to Mozambique, Naula O’Brien, said the partnership between the two countries represents an important contribution from the Irish government for women’s and girl’s empowerment because will give them skills and abilities to create self-employment and improve living conditions in their communities.
“Investing in the social and economic empowerment of women and girls is, without the least shadow of a doubt, the key to boosting sustainable development,” she declared.
In the pilot phase, candidates from across the country will be selected according to the potential of the place of origin, according to the courses offered by the centre, in order to ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from the training.
