Mozambique: Japan to assess investment potential in Nacala port, rail corridor

The Japanese Ambassador to Mozambique announced on Wednesday that a delegation of Japanese business leaders will visit the Nacala rail corridor on Thursday to assess its investment potential, following the formalisation of agreements signed in 2025. Speaking on the sidelines of a development summit in Maputo, Ambassador Hamada Keiji told reporters that the conference had been held to present the reality and data of the Nacala corridor, adding that from the following day on, he and several Japanese firms would head to the port and the corridor to assess the situation. The diplomat said that it is vital for Nippon companies to familiarise themselves with the corridor, located in the northern province of Nampula, to identify specific “investment opportunities”.

He estimated that approximately 30 Japanese companies, represented by over 100 participants, were currently in the country, saying that they believed the Nacala Corridor, and the development of the Port of Nacala in particular, could serve as a gateway for new business creation and regional growth. During the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), in August 2025, the president of Mozambique Daniel Chapo highlighted the “enormous potential” of the logistics route, which connects Mozambique to landlocked neighbours Malawi and Zambia, calling for an investment from Japan to ensure its rapid, large-scale implementation. Chapo has since pushed for large-scale Japanese investment, assuring partners that Mozambique is implementing reforms to guarantee “robust partnerships”.

The president of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA) of Mozambique, Álvaro Massingue, praised Japan’s involvement, noting that it brings essential knowledge transfer, technological innovation and international port management standards. Mozambican business leaders also expressed their willingness to facilitate dialogue and the signing of partnership agreements between domestic and foreign companies willing to invest in the development of the Nacala Corridor. The corridor, which has been in operation since 2016, is a $4.5 billion (€3.8 billion) investment that was backed by the Brazilian multinational Vale, the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui and the state-owned company Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (ports and railways). The project includes a deep-water port in Nacala, northern Mozambique, linked to a 912-kilometre railway line, through which coal mined in the inland province of Tete is transported.