Maputo, June 19, 2025 (Lusa) - The government of Mozambique on Thursday called on Turkish businesspeople to invest in industrialisation, pointing to the country's goal of acquiring the capacity to process its raw materials locally and reduce imports.
"Mozambique has a strategic base: more than 36 million hectares of arable land, extensive forest resources, 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, strategic minerals such as coal, heavy sands, gold and rubies, as well as a 2,700-kilometre coastline bathed by the Indian Ocean. But our commitment is not to continue as a mere exporter of raw materials. We want to transform our raw materials locally," said the Secretary of State for Industry, Custódia Paunde.
She was speaking at the opening of the Mozambique-Turkey business forum in Maputo, where she presented the potential and strategic areas for private investment which, she said, are essential for the country's development.
"We want to convert natural resources into jobs and income, reduce imports, improve our trade balance and position Mozambique as a regional and international supplier of semi-processed and finished products," said the Secretary of State for Industry.
Specifically, Mozambique's government has asked Turkey to expand investments in the following sectors: chemicals and chemical products, ferrous and non-ferrous metal products, industrial machinery and equipment, textiles, clothing and apparel, agro-industry, aquaculture and livestock, and infrastructure and logistics.
"We want to transform Mozambique into a competitive, inclusive and sustainable industrial production centre," the minister added.
The Agency for Investment and Export Promotion (APIEX), which also highlighted the country's potential, encouraged Turkish businesspeople to invest in areas such as energy, oil and gas, as well as the real estate sector and the acquisition of machinery for various industries.
The agency justified the request for investment by pointing to Mozambique's strategic location for access to regional and international markets, including local economic policies that, it said, allow for a "good business environment." In March last year, Mozambique and the Turkish defence industries signed a cooperation agreement, including plans to supply Turkish equipment.
"The objective (...) is to establish cooperation in the defence industry between the parties, improving capabilities (...) through more effective cooperation in the areas of development, production, procurement, maintenance of defence goods and services and relevant technical and logistical support," reads the text of the Defence Industry Cooperation Agreement between the governments of the two countries.
"This agreement covers the principles of cooperation activities in the defence industry between the parties, government agencies, or private organisations approved by the parties," it adds.
On 12 June, Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo called for lasting peace to rid the country of its international connotation of conflict and instability, to attract investment and boost the national economy.
"We are forbidden to fail, we must create an environment of full and lasting peace so that Mozambique is no longer seen as a country of recurring conflicts and various [subsequent peace] agreements, which does not help to attract the investments we so badly need to create more jobs for our population and for young people," he said.
"Domestic and foreign investors need a country at peace and secure, with political, economic and social stability, to invest," appealed Daniel Chapo, indicating that it is urgent to "end the cycle of violence" so that Mozambique can focus on development.
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