Pemba, Mozambique, June 22, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique’s Minister for Planning and Development, Salim Valá, on Monday called for concrete results and a shared vision to link mega-projects to the local economy in Cabo Delgado province, during a conference on industrialisation and agribusiness.
“This conference must produce concrete results. It is not enough for it to be a forum for speeches, analyses, scholarly reflections and a rhetorical exercise based on good intentions,” said Salim Valá at the opening of the International Conference on Industrialisation and Agribusiness (CIAGRO 2026), which is taking place in Pemba, the provincial capital of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique.
At the meeting, the minister would like to see a practical agenda for the development of priority value chains, the identification of necessary investments, the strengthening of partnerships between producers, companies and financial institutions, as well as proposals to improve logistics, energy and vocational training.
“We need this conference to result in structured projects, solid partnerships, clear commitments, as well as mechanisms for implementation and monitoring,” he said, arguing that the conference should lead to concrete measures with economic and social impact.
Salim Valá noted that Cabo Delgado cannot rely solely on major gas, mining and energy projects, given that such investments will only have a transformative impact if they are linked to small and medium-sized enterprises, local producers, young people, women and communities.
“We must leave here with a concrete agenda for the development of priority value chains (...) and with a shared vision of how to link mega-projects to the local economy,” he insisted, highlighting agribusiness, agro-industry, fisheries, aquaculture, food processing and services linked to major investments as priority sectors.
In his speech, the minister argued that the local content agenda must go beyond formal targets, serving to build national productive capacity, upskill businesses, increase local supply and integrate Mozambicans into the supply chains of major projects within the mineral-energy sector.
The minister added that Cabo Delgado is well placed to establish itself as an agro-industrial hub in the north of the country, with potential in supply chains linked to cashew nuts, cotton, soya, sesame, Boer beans, livestock, poultry farming, fisheries, timber, minerals and tourism, but warned that this potential depends on infrastructure, energy, financing, logistics and security.
Salim Valá also announced the World Bank’s approval, on 18 June, of the MozCommunity project, valued at US$250 million (€218.1 million), for Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa, aimed at strengthening community capacity, creating economic opportunities and investing in resilient infrastructure across 56 regions in the north of the country.
“The country does not just need more plans. It needs plans that are put into practice and deliver tangible results,” said the minister, reiterating that the Government’s aim is to transform natural resources and major investments into jobs, local businesses, income and poverty reduction in communities.
EYMZ/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
