Mozambique, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Korea’s Busan Technopark, is set to enhance its natural disaster readiness with a new drone-based initiative.
The Drone-Based Disaster Management Project, supported by a $967,000 grant from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund, will establish a drone training centre in Mozambique and provide training for 30 professionals, including ten who will serve as instructors.
According to the AfDB, the project will deploy a drone-powered monitoring and response system across five flood-prone regions. Given Mozambique’s frequent encounters with floods, mudslides, cyclones, and other climate-induced emergencies, this initiative is expected to boost real-time disaster tracking, early warning capabilities, and advanced flood prediction models, thereby enabling the country to better forecast and manage weather-related disasters.
Scheduled to run for six months, the programme aims to evolve into a regional centre of excellence. Muchanga Américo, Mozambique’s minister of communication and digital transformation, praised the project as a technology-driven strategy to bolster disaster preparedness and response.
Flavio da Gama, AfDB country economist, described the initiative as being about “harnessing innovation to protect communities and infrastructure.”
He further remarked: “This project is not just about technology. It reflects the power of international cooperation, uniting governments, development institutions, and private sector partners in a shared mission: to protect lives, strengthen resilience, and promote sustainable development.”
