Australia May Increase Scholarships for Mozambique

22 May 2011

Maputo — The Australian government may increase the number of scholarships for Mozambican students to attend short post-graduate courses, according to Neil Mules, a special envoy from Australian Prime Minister Julia Guillard.

At the end of a three day visit to Mozambique, Mules told AIM “the purpose of my visit was to strengthen the ties of bilateral cooperation between Australia and Mozambique, as part of an undertaking to diversify and identify new mechanisms of cooperation with the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries”.

Mules added that Australia wants to increase its offer of scholarships in order to contribute to the development of Mozambique in relevant areas. To date the Mozambican candidates for scholarships had shown an “impressive” level of preparation.

Mules said the two governments have a common vision on increasing cooperation in the political and economic areas. He noted that investment by Australian companies in Mozambique has now reached a significant level, with 14 Australian companies of varying sizes involved in mining.

The most significant of these is Riversdale Mining (recently taken over by Rio Tinto), which plans to start exports from its Benga open cast coal mine, in the central province of Tete, later this year.

Mules said he also held discussions with Mozambican Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi about the Commonwealth summit due to be held in the Australian city of Perth in October. Mozambique is the only Portuguese speaking country which is also a Commonwealth member.

During his visit, Mules also discussed progress in the water and sanitation programme on Mozambique Island, off the coast of the northern province of Nampula, which is being financed by the Australian government to the tune of 17 million US dollars.

Mules’ next stop on his African tour is Angola.

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