AfDB and Mozambique conclude capacity‑building workshop on updated Integrated Safeguards System

In a concerted effort to boost project quality, sustainability and compliance with international best practice, the African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership with the Government of Mozambique, has successfully wrapped up a five‑day training workshop to help national stakeholders apply the Bank's updated Integrated Safeguards System (ISS) in Bank‑financed operations.

Background and context

The ISS is a comprehensive environmental and social policy framework that the AfDB Board approved in April 2023. It replaced a prior version from 2013, which had been in effect since 2014. (African Development Bank) The updated ISS became operative for new operations as of 31 May 2024. Its design centres on three pillars: environmental sustainability, social inclusivity and transparency/accountability. The policy includes ten "Operational Safeguards" (OS1–OS10) covering a range of risks from labour conditions, resettlement, biodiversity, stakeholder engagement, and more.

For Mozambique, this capacity‑building intervention comes at a pivotal moment: the country's project portfolio with the AfDB has recently been assessed via the Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR), which identified areas for improvement in environmental and social safeguards, institutional capacity and overall implementation quality. The workshop forms part of the country's Portfolio Improvement Plan and represents a tangible step towards strengthening the quality of Bank‑financed projects in Mozambique.

Workshop details and participation

Over 80 participants attended the workshop, drawn from:

• Project Implementation Units (PIUs) of AfDB‑financed ventures

• National environmental authorities

• Sectoral ministries (e.g., infrastructure, water, agriculture)

• Private‑sector project partners and executing agencies

• The AfDB Country Office in Mozambique and regional offices

The five‑day agenda covered the full life‑cycle application of the updated ISS — from design and screening, through monitoring and grievance mechanisms — and involved interactive sessions, case‑studies, group work and knowledge‑sharing among participants.

Key themes covered

Notable topics addressed during the workshop included:

• National and AfDB requirements for safeguard instruments, such as Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) and Stakeholder Engagement Plans (SEPs).

• Institutional roles and responsibilities under the ISS: defining the roles of the PIUs, environmental agencies, executing agencies and communities.

• The ten Operational Safeguards (OS1‑OS10) of the updated ISS — e.g., OS2 (Labour & Working Conditions), OS4 (Community Health, Safety & Security), OS5 (Land Acquisition/Resettlement) and OS10 (Stakeholder Engagement & Information Disclosure). (mfiseash.org)

• Harmonisation of national environmental & social frameworks with the AfDB's ISS requirements—emphasising the use of country systems where feasible, while filling capacity gaps.

• Enhanced provisions on emerging and higher‑risk issues, such as gender‑based violence (GBV), sexual exploitation/abuse/harassment (SEAH), labour influx, climate vulnerability, value‑chain risks and vulnerable populations. (consultations.afdb.org)

• Practical tools and templates for PIUs: screening checklists, risk classification, monitoring & reporting formats, grievance‑redress mechanisms and linkages to the Bank's Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM).

• Strategies for implementation quality: embedding safeguard requirements from the design stage of projects, ensuring adequate budget and staffing for safeguard implementation, and integrating monitoring and adaptive management.

Official remarks

During the opening session, Ms Patrícia Baptista, Country Programme Officer of the AfDB's Mozambique Country Office, emphasised the practical nature of the workshop. She noted that it is "a practical response to the findings of the Country Portfolio Performance Review and the actions foreseen in the Country Portfolio Improvement Plan, to support technical teams to integrate the Bank's and the national framework's environmental and social management requirements from design to implementation."

From the Government side, Ms Chamila Aly, National Director of the Directorate of Public Debt at the Ministry of Finance, reiterated Mozambique's commitment to sound public‑management and project delivery. She described the updated ISS as offering "practical references and clearer expectations about roles, responsibilities, and good practices for project units, environmental authorities, and the sectors involved."

Mr Modeste Kinane, Lead Environmental & Social Safeguards & Compliance Officer at the AfDB, encouraged participants to put their newly acquired knowledge into action. He emphasised that the training also provides an opportunity to share experience, clarify doubts, learn from one another and strengthen mutual relationships among stakeholders.

Significance and expected outcomes

This workshop is significant on several fronts:

1. Institutional capacity strengthening By equipping government agencies, PIUs and executing partners with a deeper understanding of the updated ISS, Mozambique strengthens its institutional readiness to deliver high‑quality, environmentally and socially sustainable projects. This reduces risks of delays, cost overruns, reputational harm and non‑compliance.

2. Enhanced project quality and sustainability Embedding the ISS requirements early in the project cycle improves outcomes — from reducing negative environmental and social impacts to improving stakeholder engagement, transparency and accountability. Projects aligned with the new safeguards are more likely to deliver sustainable development benefits and avoid unintended harm.

3. Harmonisation and coherence The workshop supports the alignment of Mozambican national frameworks with the AfDB's ISS, facilitating smoother co‑financing, reduced duplication of safeguards work, and better use of country systems where feasible.

4. Portfolio performance improvement Given that the CPPR flagged safeguard implementation as an area requiring attention, the capacity‑building intervention forms a key element of the improvement plan, enabling better portfolio management, supervision and quality assurance across AfDB‑funded operations in Mozambique.

Next steps and considerations

To translate the capacity boost into tangible improvements, several follow‑up actions are likely important:

• Roll‑out of further training: The workshop may be followed by more sector‑specific or PIU‑specific modules (e.g., infrastructure, water, agriculture) to deepen knowledge and address technical nuance.

• Integration into country systems: Mozambique may need to review and update its legal/regulatory frameworks, standardised instruments (e.g., ESIA templates, RAP templates) and supervisory systems to align with the updated ISS.

• Monitoring & evaluation: Establishing metrics to assess how well projects funded by the AfDB are implementing the ISS – e.g., percentage of projects with SEP disclosed, number of grievances handled, number of RAPs completed in time etc.

• Budgeting and staffing: Ensuring each project unit has dedicated safeguard staff/budget to manage environmental and social risks throughout the project lifecycle.

• Learning and feedback loops: Capturing lessons from implementation and feeding them back into national systems, PIU operations and future iterations of training programmes.

• Stakeholder engagement and feedback: Ongoing engagement with civil society, communities and project‑affected persons to ensure transparency, accountability and responsiveness to grievances.

Broader implications

The workshop reflects a wider trend within development finance: multilateral development banks are increasingly emphasising upstream environmental and social risk management rather than only downstream mitigation. The updated ISS of the AfDB aligns with peer institutions and global best practice in harmonising safeguards, embedding climate‑change and risk considerations, elevating social inclusion and accountability. (Bank Information Center) For Mozambique, strengthening these capacities not only improves the performance of AfDB‑financed operations but also contributes to building institutional resilience, aligning with national development and climate‑adaptation goals.

The five‑day training workshop co‑organised by the AfDB and the Government of Mozambique marks an important milestone in the country's journey to enhance project sustainability, safeguard management and institutional quality. By equipping over 80 stakeholders spanning ministries, project units, environmental authorities and private‑sector partners with the knowledge and tools to apply the updated ISS, Mozambique is better placed to deliver inclusive, sustainable projects funded by the AfDB. The coming months will be critical in ensuring that this knowledge translates into improved practice across the project lifecycle — from design through implementation, monitoring and closure — ensuring that the environmental and social benefits of development finance are realised for all.