Beyond raw exports: ECA and Mozambique chart a path to industrial growth

Meeting with Secretary of State for Mines H.E. Jorge Gerson Momade Daudo, and speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Gatete was direct: Mozambique must move beyond raw material exports. With critical minerals, natural gas, deep-water ports, and strategic transport corridors, the country has the assets to become a continental model for responsible, value-added mineral development, if governance frameworks, negotiation capacity, sovereign wealth mechanisms, and local content policies are put in place to capture that value.

ECA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Mozambique through regional programmes on critical minerals, green industrialisation, and local content. At APIEX, discussions with Deputy General Director Telma Odete Come focused on strengthening Mozambique’s investment ecosystem — simplifying procedures, developing a one-stop investment platform, and fully integrating Special Economic Zones into the country’s AfCFTA implementation strategy. At the Mozambique Chamber of Commerce, Vice President Ilda Matabel and the ECA delegation centred discussions on the private sector, particularly SMEs facing barriers to finance, certification, and regional market access.

ECA highlighted support opportunities through AfCFTA implementation, digital trade platforms, and regional initiatives including the African Women Entrepreneurs Network. The engagements concluded with a visit to the Port of Maputo, where DP World presented plans to scale container capacity from 230,000 to 1 million TEUs within five to seven years. The port visit crystallised the larger argument: with the right investment in channel depth, corridor connectivity, and local mineral processing, Maputo could evolve from a regional transit gateway into an industrialisation engine for Southern Africa.

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“The question is no longer whether the opportunity exists,” said Executive Secretary Gatete. “It is whether the governance, the value chain strategies, and the investment frameworks are in place to capture it fully. ECA stands ready to support that work. About the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

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