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The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it has financed more than 100 projects worth more than US$2 billion in Mozambique over the last 40 years and plans to invest more in the country, mainly in the areas of energy, agriculture and infrastructure.

In a summary of its activities in Mozambique that was released on Tuesday night, AfDB said it has, among other projects, funded the construction of more than 800 kilometres of roads in Mozambique over the past 10 years, secured safe drinking water for nearly two million people, and helped more than 8,000 peasant families improve their incomes.

It said it has also helped create about 1,500 jobs through the Nacala rail project, in addition to financing the construction of 1,350 kilometres of electricity transmission lines, which allowed access to more than 822,000 people.According to this financial institution up to December 2017 its total portfolio in Mozambique consisted of 20 loan operations, worth US$623 million.

The bank also says it will implement a new strategy that will be based fundamentally on investment in infrastructure and agriculture.AfDB representative Pietro Toigo said the new strategy is expected to help catapult Mozambique, and the rest of Africa, in the area of agriculture and infrastructure development.“It will be a strategy to boost rural development in Mozambique, to create jobs and diversify the economy,” he said.