Maputo, Sept. 30, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique and Botswana have decided to strengthen their institutional framework for bilateral cooperation, which, according to the Mozambican president, Daniel Chapo, marks a new phase in political, economic and trade relations, whilst bolstering the mechanisms to drive development.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in Gaborone, the capital of neighbouring Botswana, by the Mozambican president during his review of the three-day visit, at the invitation of his counterpart, Duma Boko, with the aim of strengthening ties between the two nations, and during which bilateral agreements were signed within the framework of the joint cooperation committee.
For Chapo, his stay marked a new phase in the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two African nations, «raising them to a more strategic and results-oriented level», particularly in the commercial and economic spheres.
«One of the particularly significant outcomes was the decision to upgrade the institutional framework for bilateral cooperation from a Joint Commission to a Binational Commission», which will be chaired by the two heads of state, he said.
Following on from this new framework for cooperation, he explained, a further meeting is scheduled for 2028 to assess compliance with the decisions set out in the cooperation framework; it is hoped that the new mechanism will enable greater coordination, monitoring and political guidance in relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation.
«We are thus laying the foundations for increasingly dynamic, mutually beneficial cooperation geared towards concrete results, in line with our vision of building economic independence as Mozambicans, which we all aspire to,» he added.
Chapo emphasised the importance of strengthening Mozambique's links with the world, making use of logistics corridors – particularly those in Nacala, in the north of the country – to transport goods and facilitate the movement of people. According to Chapo, this opportunity also extends to Botswana, which should take advantage of these links to facilitate trade.
«Botswana continues to use the port of Beira to import various goods and, above all, for exports as well, but we believe that the Port of Nacala, which is one of the largest deep-water ports we have, would also be a solution for Botswana,» said Chapo, assuring that he would work with neighbouring countries to extend the railway line and connect the nations.
According to the head of state, the port of Nacala will begin connecting to the world from October, with international flights scheduled to commence from that northern part of the country.
«People will no longer need to go to Maputo to catch a flight out of the country, nor will they need to go to Johannesburg, which is sometimes necessary in order to fly to other parts of the world. We will fly from Nacala to other parts of the world,» he emphasised.
Chapo also announced that the country is working with Botswana to develop air links that will facilitate access to tourist destinations and the creation of integrated packages in the Southern African region.
The national carriers, Air Botswana and Linhas Aéreas de Mozambique (LAM), signed a commercial agreement in 2018 that allowed the Botswana carrier to extend its route network, via Johannesburg, to seven LAM destinations, namely Maputo, Beira, Vilankulo, Pemba, Tete, Nampula and Inhambane.
The agreement also provided for a single check-in process for passengers travelling from Gaborone, Maun and Francistown to LAM's destinations in Mozambique, as well as the possibility for passengers from Mozambique to book and purchase tickets on Air Botswana flights to those three cities.
With no direct connections currently in place, the proposal now put forward by Chapo relates to the development of air links and integrated tourist packages.
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