From November 10 to 13, 2025, the Governance Team of the Irish Embassy in Maputo—including Orla Kelly, Inocêncio Macuacua, Carmona Pola, Lídia Meque/Ruth Monteiro, Connor O’Loughlin/Dóris Uane, and Paul Rowley—undertook a monitoring and partnership mission to the district of Gorongosa. The main objectives of this visit were:
• to hold a partnership meeting to review results, challenges, and lessons learned;
• to discuss the preliminary proposal for 2026, ensuring that sustainability is incorporated into the project document;
• monitor the progress of the Gorongosa Restoration Project (GRP) following the implementation of the 2025 plan and the 2024 recommendations;
• reinforce dialogue with local authorities and stakeholders at the district level;
• strengthen synergies with implementation partners (local NGOs) to maximize efficiencies and results.
During the visit, the team met with the Administrator of the Gorongosa district, Pedro Mussengue, and with members of the Nhaussembe and Dungama communities. In these locations, the team had the opportunity to meet some of the winners of the Gorongosa Mountain Marathon, which took place recently. They planted native trees, visited the Girls’ and Environmental Clubs and the Peace Clubs, as well as the local coffee and honey factories in Gorongosa National Park. The team also visited the Scientific Research Center and the Park Laboratory and participated in an evaluation meeting with the PNG teams in Chitengo, in the Park.
This mission is in line with the Strategic Core Funding Memorandum of Understanding (2020–2025) between the Irish Embassy and the GRP, which provides for a total of €5 million, of which €4 million has already been disbursed. A final disbursement is planned for 2025.
The Gorongosa Restoration Project’s 5-year Business Plan aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation in Gorongosa National Park and improve the well-being of communities in the Park’s Buffer Zone. Gorongosa National Park covers all areas of the Embassy’s intervention, including education and gender, health and nutrition, peace, livelihoods, and agriculture. During the first three years, funding primarily supported management and social infrastructure, as well as income-generating activities and peacebuilding initiatives.
In 2024, the Embassy conducted a midterm evaluation of the Partnership with Gorongosa. This assessment highlighted the rapid growth of the GRP and the need for continued support to improve program planning, management, financial systems, knowledge management, and reporting. Although the central funding model has enabled the GRP to grow and attract resources from various development partners, it was noted that it does not enable a measurable direct impact on vulnerable communities and is not the ideal approach in the local context. The evaluation prioritized the need to support and focus efforts on peacebuilding initiatives that promote social cohesion and reintegration, as well as income-generating programs that improve livelihoods in Serra da Gorongosa. It also recommended offering direct programming to the most disadvantaged groups, particularly women and youth.
The evaluation’s recommendations were discussed with the GRP team. An agreement was reached to prepare a comprehensive two-year project document, accompanied by a detailed work plan for the remainder of the partnership. The final project document was submitted to the Embassy at the end of March 2025.
Text/photos – Samo Jossefa Samo
