The first stop was South Africa, where the focus was on the economy, energy, oceans and sustainability.

Talked to key politicians

“South Africa is a significant global player both politically and economically, and is playing a central role in the geopolitical changes we are currently going through. Norway has a long history of cooperation with South Africa within a whole range of different fields. Most recently, one of the most important of these has been in renewable energy,” said Ine Eriksen Søreide (Conservative Party), Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

The committee was due to meet foreign affairs and defence counterparts in parliament, members of various human rights organizations, and experts in energy, trade and economics.

Visited Norwegian-funded projects in Mozambique

“Mozambique is a major recipient of Norwegian development aid, which makes it valuable for the committee to find out how this works in the field,” added Ms. Eriksen Søreide.

Among the committee’s field trips were visits to Pathfinder, an NGO which works to improve sexual and reproductive health; MozCarbon, a producer of clean cooking stoves; and the CTM transformer station, which is critical for the energy supply to Maputo and the surrounding area.

A large proportion of Norwegian aid to Mozambique is channelled through the UN system. The committee therefore set up meetings with central UN organizations and local representatives. It also had meetings with, among others, Carlos Zacharias, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, and Esperança Laurinda Bias, President of the National Assembly.