Maputo, 13/02/2026
A new funding package made available by the Government of the Italian Republic will support the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in strengthening its assistance to Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) in the fight against organized crime, particularly drug trafficking.
“Today we are pleased to be here with UNODC and SERNIC to take a further step forward in the fight against drug trafficking in Mozambique, building on the extensive experience of Italy and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in this field,” said the Ambassador of Italy to Mozambique, Gabriele Phillip Annis. “This is a far-reaching project. I am absolutely confident that it will lead to a significant and substantial strengthening of Mozambique’s capacities in this area.”
“The project strengthens both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. They are two sides of the same coin — that of international cooperation — against a phenomenon that is, in itself, international,” he continued.
Ilídio Miguel, Director-General of SERNIC, recalled the exchange of experiences between Italy and Mozambique in recent years in the fight against organized crime and in the reform of the penitentiary system, including with the support of UNODC, highlighting the positive impact of these initiatives. “It is support that has made a difference.”
“This new project, generously funded by Italy, aims first and foremost to strengthen SERNIC’s technical capacity, in particular its forensic capacity,” emphasized Antonio De Vivo, Head of the UNODC Office in Mozambique.
“Through specialized training directly in SERNIC’s laboratories and the provision of cutting-edge technological equipment, our goal is to enable SERNIC technicians to identify illicit substances and instruments of crime, such as weapons, more reliably and rapidly,” explained De Vivo — a crucial effort to ensure that criminal groups are dismantled and brought to justice.
The project also includes activities to improve coordination throughout the criminal justice chain — from the crime scene to the courtroom — with dedicated training on the digital dimension of crime, in light of the increasingly sophisticated use of digital tools by organized criminal groups.
Throughout the implementation of the project, UNODC will coordinate direct cooperation activities with the Italian authorities, who will continue to share their extensive experience in combating organized crime and drug trafficking.
