Dutch Agriculture and Foreign Trade Minister, Henk Bleker, on Wednesday reiterated the support of his government to Mozambique by disbursing funds for country’s State Budget, and also by increasing the number of Dutch companies investing in the domestic market.Speaking to reporters shortly after visiting a small water supply system in the outlying neighbourhood of Albasini, in Maputo, Bleker pledged that his country would continue to disburse annually 15 million Euros to support Mozambique’s State Budget.The system is one part of a larger project, which includes 16 small water supply systems, developed in the district of Boane and in the cities of Maputo and Matola, co-funded by the European Investment Bank, European Union, the Netherlands through ORET programme, the French Development Agency and Government of Mozambique.The systems are fed by small boreholes with capacity ranging from 13 to 31 cubic meters per hour and will supply about 100,000 people, an investment worth about 4.1 million US dollars.Bleker, who was on a two-day visit to Mozambique, started on Tuesday, expressed his satisfaction with developments on the ground to provide water to residents in suburban areas.'Access to clean water is important for health and sanitation. Indeed, availability of water in homes impacts on communities’ economic development, because people no longer need to travel long distances in search of water and, therefore, devote most time to develop other important activities that may help to improve their lives,' he said. As for cooperation between both countries, Bleker said that 'we will continue the existing cooperation between the Netherlands and Mozambique. We will continue to disburse annually 15 million Euros for the State Budget”. “We also agreed with the government that Dutch private companies, in partnership with Mozambicans, would explore investment opportunities in Mozambique. Therefore, we will continue to support Mozambique not only with funding but also through the participation of Dutch companies, 'he added. The Minister took the opportunity to say that he hoped the Mozambican government would respect both foreign and private investors, particularly those from the Netherlands. In his visit to Mozambique, Bleker was accompanied by a delegation of businesspeople who have shown interest in the areas of water supply systems, water management, agriculture, among others.On Tuesday, Bleker and his delegation met Industry and Trade Minister, Armando Inroga, and a group of Mozambican business people, to explore investment opportunities in the country.
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