Maputo, May 29, 2026 (Lusa) – The Beira Interior Professional and Artistic School (EPABI) in Covilha, Portugal, has welcomed 70 Mozambican students and will host 150 more over the next three years to strengthen Mozambique's tourism sector, under an agreement signed on Friday in Maputo.

"It is an honour for us, because it is an opportunity to put the capabilities and the mission we have within education and training at the service of Mozambique," said Rogério Simões, representing the Portuguese EPABI, following the signing of the memorandum of understanding at the ministry of economy in Maputo to increase the student intake.

The school has hosted 70 students from Mozambique. He said that the memorandum signed on Friday involving Mozambique's new Agency for Tourism Development and Investment (Anditur) "establishes stability over the next three years for 150 more places" through partial scholarships.

"These are essentially 150 more opportunities for young people to develop their skills, work on their life projects, and thus allow us to contribute with the little we can and know to the future of Mozambique," he said.

The Beira Interior Professional and Artistic School focusses on artistic and vocational training and belongs to the GPS group, one of the largest private education groups in Portugal.

"It is with great satisfaction and also great pride that we signed this memorandum, and once again I thank the partnership, the work, and the capacity for enterprise, innovation, and vision that the government of Mozambique has shown for us to work together for the future of young people and Mozambique," Simões said.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economy Jorge Fernando Jairoce signed the agreement on behalf of Mozambique's government, highlighting the scope of cooperation with Portugal in this sector.

"One challenge we face in the tourism sector, which also features in the government's five-year plan, is improving our technical-professional capacity to meet the need for excellent service in tourism. We have a major challenge in this area, and this memorandum, which targets professional training for young people, aims to ensure high-quality tourism services in the future," he said, noting the objective to renew the agreement.

"To cover the entire country, there is a great need in this area of training," he said.

PVJ/RYOL // AYLS

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