from ARMANDO DOMINGOS in Maputo, Mozambique
MAPUTO, (CAJ News) – THE United States (US) has deepened its ties with Mozambique after it officially opened its new embassy in the Southern African country.
Officials said the dedication of the embassy in the capital, Maputo, was a display of the enduring friendship and strategic partnership with Mozambique.
Dennis Walter Hearne, the US Ambassador, and Tracy Thomas, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) Managing Director, represented the US government of President Joe Biden at the event on Thursday.
The Mozambican delegation comprised Ernesto Max Tonela, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Maputo City Secretary of State Vicente Joaquim, and the provincial governor, Julio Parruque.
They represented the administration of President Filipe Nyusi.
“The new campus provides a secure, innovative, sustainable, and resilient platform for US diplomacy in Mozambique,” the US Department of State noted.
The 10-acre compound is situated on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
It is said to model the latest energy efficient features.
The US Department of State said the facility was on target to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.
This is a globally-recognised mark of achievement in high performance and best-in-class, green buildings.
More than 1 000 jobs were created for Mozambicans and more than $22 million injected into the local economy during construction.
The US Embassy opened in Maputo in November 1975, five months after the former Portuguese East Africa attained independence.
– CAJ News