Maputo, June 3, 2025 (Lusa) - A Chinese group has announced it will set up a steel factory using domestic coal in northern Mozambique for the local processing of minerals and production of industrial goods.

“We want to build a steel factory in the north and manufacture products in Mozambique,” said Zhong He Liu, chairman of the board of directors of Chinese business group Wang-Kang Safira, on the sidelines of a meeting with Mozambican president Daniel Chapo in Maputo on Monday.

According to the representative of the multinational, which has been operating in the country since 2024 and has one of the largest ceramics factories in Africa, the project aims to “significantly” expand its presence in the domestic industrial sector, with a view to boosting the industrialisation process and the economy of Mozambique.

“We want to move forward with other projects, develop good industry in Mozambique and help our economy grow more quickly in Mozambique,” he added.

Liu explained that there are also plans to build a “large iron factory” and develop a special economic zone in the district of Moamba, in the southern province of Maputo, where the Safira Mozambique Ceramic factory, inaugurated in September 2024, is already located.

The Mozambican head of state encouraged the business group to strengthen its investments in the country, with priority given to initiatives that promote job creation and community welfare.

Safira Mozambique Ceramic, the first factory financed by Wang-Kang in the country, is focused on the production of tiles and wall tiles, with an investment of US$140 million (€131.2 million).

LYCE/AYLS // AYLS

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