LocationsRISE-PS Launches in Pemba, Signalling New Phase of Recovery for Cabo Delgado
June 9, 2026
On 9 June 2026, Pemba became the site of a significant commitment to Mozambique's north. Under Cabo Delgado's coastal skies, provincial leaders, central government representatives, United Nations officials, the private sector, civil society, and community members gathered for the official launch and roll-out of the Resilient Investment for Socio-Economic Empowerment, Peace and Security (RISE-PS) project. The Pemba roll-out builds on the momentum of the national launch held in Maputo in March 2026, where the Government of Mozambique, the African Development Bank and UNDP formally committed to this investment in Cabo Delgado's recovery.
The event was the culmination of two days of intensive technical work. On 8 June, teams from ADIN, UNDP and implementing partners met for a technical workshop that mapped out the programme's operational architecture: governance structures, financial management, monitoring and evaluation, gender integration, environmental safeguards, visibility, the RISE-PS Operational Manual and more. The launch on 9 June brought that foundational work before the public and the communities the programme is designed to serve.
Cabo Delgado's context makes RISE-PS both urgent and necessary. Since 2017, armed conflict has killed approximately 4,500 people, displaced over one million, and devastated livelihoods across the province. The districts of Palma and Ancuabe, the programme's primary focus, remain among the hardest-hit. RISE-PS is built on the understanding that humanitarian response alone cannot rebuild what has been broken.
"It is a privilege to be in Pemba for the rollout of RISE-PS. Lasting recovery requires sustained and integrated investment in people, institutions, and governance. This programme moves beyond humanitarian response to focus on resilience, lasting economic opportunities, and restoring community confidence. RISE-PS stands out for its integrated approach, combining infrastructure, skills, private sector growth, and institutional strengthening into one platform. Today marks a moment of promise. Let us honour it through action and through delivery." — Edo Stork, UNDP Resident Representative, Mozambique
"As we are all aware, Cabo Delgado continues to face numerous challenges resulting from violent extremism and the effects of climate change, particularly in relation to access to basic services for young people and displaced families. The project aims to create employment opportunities and improve access to basic social services in Cabo Delgado, particularly for young people, women and displaced populations in the districts of Ancuabe and Palma. Peace is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of sustainable progress. It is also intrinsically linked to the restoration of investor confidence and long-term development prospects. The strengthening of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises must result from processes that actively engage local entrepreneurs, particularly young people, as key actors equipped with a strong sense of ownership and responsibility. Such an approach is essential for reducing the vulnerabilities that expose young people to risks and for fostering inclusive economic opportunities. Cabo Delgado must definitively overcome the cycle of youth recruitment into extremist groups by ensuring that its active population remains productive, empowered and resilient. Therefore, in our capacity as Chairpersons of the Project Coordination Committee, we call upon all implementing partners to uphold the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, coordination and accountability throughout the implementation process. We further encourage you to value local knowledge and draw lessons from similar initiatives so that together we may achieve the best possible results for the people of Cabo Delgado." — H.E. Valige Tauabo, Governor of Cabo Delgado Province
Edo Stork, UNDP Resident Representative, Mozambique; H.E. Fernando Bemane de Sousa, Secretary of State, Cabo Delgado Province; H.E. Valige Tauabo, Governor of Cabo Delgado Province; Mrs. Deodete Chachuaio, National Director of Promotion and Integrated Development; Jacinto Loureiro, President of ADIN
"It is important to highlight that RISE-PS is aligned with the country’s key planning instruments, notably the National Development Strategy 2025–2044, which seeks to transform Mozambique into a middle-income, productive, industrialised and territorially balanced nation. The project is also aligned with the Government’s Five-Year Programme 2025–2029, which identifies youth employment creation and the strengthening of the national private sector, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as key priorities. The four components of the project directly contribute to the five strategic pillars of the Government’s development agenda, namely: Pillar One – National Unity, Peace, Security and Governance; Pillar Two – Structural Economic Transformation; Pillar Three – Social and Demographic Transformation; Pillar Four – Infrastructure, Territorial Organisation and Spatial Planning; and Pillar Five – Environmental Sustainability, Disaster Management and the Circular Economy. This partnership reinforces our shared conviction that we are collectively committed to building a resilient and lasting peace through investments that create employment opportunities and improve access to essential social infrastructure in Cabo Delgado, with particular attention to young people, women and displaced populations. The first meeting of the RISE-PS Project Steering Committee, taking place today, together with the technical induction meeting held yesterday, 8 June, marks the beginning of the project’s operational activities and the adoption of its coordination mechanisms by the principal stakeholders. The Ministry of Planning and Development is fully committed to ensuring this programme achieves its objectives." — Mrs. Deodete Chachuaio, National Director of Promotion and Integrated Development, Ministry of Planning and Development
"Following many months of consultation, planning and project design, we are now commencing the implementation of concrete activities on the ground in support of the programme’s objectives, which, in essence, seek to promote the socio-economic development of our communities, particularly young people in the districts of Ancuabe and Palma. We are fully aware that the phase we are now entering brings with it an increased level of responsibility for all stakeholders involved. As the Northern Integrated Development Agency (ADIN), in our capacity as the Executing Agency of the project, we are committed to doing everything within our means, together with our partners, to ensure the successful implementation of this initiative." — Jacinto Loureiro, President of ADIN
The $28 million programme, jointly financed by the African Development Bank under its Transition States Facility, UNDP, the Government of Mozambique, bilateral partners and the private sector, operates through four integrated components. It will rehabilitate 150 community facilities, including schools, health posts, markets, youth centres, and water systems, restoring services to over 100,000 people and generating 4,500 jobs. It will support 2,261 vulnerable youth and women, including 500 with disabilities, with skills training and start-up resources, and restore 2,000 micro-enterprises. It will build a 50,000 m² SME Village in Palma's Afungi Industrial Park, linking local businesses to LNG value chains. And it will strengthen ADIN's institutional capacity through a new Peace and Security Investment Hub to anchor long-term recovery coordination across all three northern provinces.
RISE-PS builds directly on UNDP's stabilisation work in Cabo Delgado since 2021. With the first Project Steering Committee now constituted and operational plans approved, the work begins.
