The Resilient Investment for Socio‑Economic Empowerment, Peace and Security Project (RISE‑PS) will target the conflict‑affected districts of Palma and Ancuabe in Cabo Delgado, where years of insecurity have displaced thousands and disrupted local economies.
The initiative is funded through a $28‑million blended package that includes $17 million from the African Development Bank’s Transition Support Facility, $4.2 million from UNDP, $2.4 million from the Government of Germany, $3.1 million from private‑sector partners and $1.3 million in counterpart funding from Mozambique. The project will be implemented by the Northern Integrated Development Agency with support from UNDP.
Around 24 000 young people, half of them women, are expected to benefit directly from the initiative, as well as more than 3 000 women‑headed households and over 7 300 local enterprises. Indirect benefits are expected to reach the wider population of Cabo Delgado, estimated at 2.74 million people, and the broader northern region, home to 11.6 million.
Mozambique’s Minister of Planning and Development, Salim Cripton Valá, said improved infrastructure will be central to revitalising the region. “Establishing relevant infrastructure is fundamental to attracting small-medium enterprises (SMEs), stimulating private investment and generating employment opportunities for young people and women,” he said.
The project will support more than 100 private‑sector partnerships to create structured youth internships and provide technical and soft‑skills training. It will also develop a climate‑smart SME Village in Afungi and attract up to 100 micro, small and medium‑sized enterprises to new industrial and serviced facilities.
Rômulo Cunha Corrêa, the African Development Bank’s Country Manager for Mozambique, described the initiative as “a timely and transformative intervention designed to address the complex drivers of fragility in northern Mozambique”.
UNDP Resident Representative Edo Stork said RISE‑PS marks a shift from emergency stabilisation toward longer‑term development, strengthening resilience and expanding economic opportunities.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
