23 January 2007 - PANA. The governments of Mozambique and Japan Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement in Tokyo to facilitate the construction of bridges in Zambezia and Tete provinces, as well as support the national anti-malaria programme.
Mozambican Foreign Minister Alcinda Abreu and the Japanese ambassador to Maputo, Tatsuya Miki signed the agreement, while Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe witnessed the signing.
About 449 million yen of the total value of this agreement -- 492 million yen (about US$4.1 million) -- will be spent on providing 605,000 mosquito nets for distribution, particularly to pregnant women and children under five years of age in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Manica, Sofala and Inhambane.
The remaining 43 million yen will be spent on rehabilitating five bridges on secondary roads in Zambezia and Tete, in order to improve the marketing of agricultural produce, and the development of regional economic activities.
 
According to a release from the Japanese embassy received by AIM, also on Tuesday Abe revealed that his government has decided to help finance improvements to the road between Montepuez and Lichinga, linking the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa.
This aid is in the form of a soft loan of 3.282 million yen, at an interest rate of 0.01 per cent a year.
Prior to the signing ceremony, Guebuza and Abe, and their delegations, held official talks.
 
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