Mozambique: UAE business mission visits next week to explore investment potential

A group of businesspeople from the United Arab Emirates will visit Mozambique next week with the aim of exploring the country’s potential in the areas of digital transformation, ports, energy, agriculture and mining, an official source announced on Wednesday. The information was provided to Lusa by the president of the Arab-Mozambican Chamber of Commerce (CCAM), Sérgio Matos, who said that in addition to these areas, the group is also interested in investing in ports. “The expected impact of these [planned] investments is transformative for the Mozambican economy, creating jobs, transferring technology and knowledge, and positioning Mozambique as a preferred investment destination on the African continent,” said Sérgio Matos.

According to the official, the group of Arab businessmen will begin arriving on Monday, with technical meetings already scheduled with their Mozambican counterparts to learn about the potential in the five areas of interest already identified. The Mozambican head of state said in January, in the wake of a visit he made to that country, that he had invited businesspeople from the United Arab Emirates to invest in the national energy sector, arguing that Mozambique could become a regional energy production hub in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Specifically, in the energy sector, Mozambique wants businesspeople to invest in gas exploration, photovoltaic and floating solar energy projects, especially in the central and northern provinces of the country, with the aim of diversifying the national energy matrix.

The list also includes digital transformation, with a focus on e-government and the digitisation of citizen services, as well as investments in port infrastructure with a view to creating a regional logistics centre. Mozambique wants the private sector in that country to invest in health and tourism, with projects focused on infrastructure, specialised services, luxury tourism and ecotourism. Mozambique also wants the Arabs to invest in agriculture, with a focus on the production of vegetables, cereals and fruit, especially in the provinces of Tete, Manica, Zambézia and Sofala, in the centre of the country. “Agility and predictability in processes are crucial for investment decisions,” said the Arab-Mozambican Chamber of Commerce president.