Ministério da saúde

The Ministry of Health building in Maputo is an attractive yellow and white building on one of the main boulevards, named after Eduardo Mondlane. His name has a close association with FRELIMO, the dominant political party in Mozambique and one of the key actors in the decades of unrest.

One of my senior colleagues Matt has now joined me in Maputo as he's appearing on a panel on eco-tourism and conservation in the coming days. We've had a packed and productive day around Maputo meeting donors and collaborators, as we try to lay the groundwork for a deeper re-engagement in Mozambique at the national level. Although the current main crux of our work is in Niassa National Reserve, a vast distance away on the northern border with Tanzania, being present in Maputo is critical for maximising opportunities and developing ideas with partners.

We've covered all sorts of ground on funding available for conservation work, the poaching crisis in certain areas, scoping of new marine ideas because of Mozambique's incredibly long coastline, and how to support capacity building at the national level and mentor Mozambican conservationists to come through the system.

Due to this lingering cold, every bin and other receptacle that I have access to has been overflowing with used tissues for several days. At some important introduction meetings today my nose was red raw like I am a cocaine addict who has been trying to erode his septum as quickly as possible. Matt and I put nose blowing aside for the evening to enjoy some excellent fish at a recommended restaurant, and to debrief on what I've been up to over the last two weeks.