The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will pay for work to build the future Institute of Maputo Health Sciences (ICSM) with an estimated cost of US$18.4 million, according to Mozambican news agency AIM.

The ceremony to lay the first stone, symbolising the start of work, took place Monday and was attended by the Japanese ambassador to Mozambique, Akira Mizutani and the Mozambican Health Minister Nazira Abdula.

In a statement, the Japanese Embassy said the project to build the new institute had been ordered by the government of Mozambique, which then requested non-refundable financial support from its Japanese counterpart.

The institute is intended for the training of middle-level staff, including courses on nursing, maternal and child health nursing, medical technicians, preventive medicine, laboratory and pharmacy.

The ICSM building will have the capacity to accommodate 450 students per shift, spread across 15 classes, with plans for it to operate with two shifts to allow a maximum capacity of 900 students. (macauhub/MZ)