Maputo, Nov. 19, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambique's government and national businesspeople said on Wednesday their commitment to the defence industry was strategic for national sovereignty and security, pointing to cooperation with Turkey as a solution for modernising the sector.
"The defence industry is strategic for sovereignty, security and economic development in Mozambique," said the president of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), Álvaro Massingue, during the start of the first Mozambique-Turkey Defence Industry Forum, which runs until Thursday in Maputo.
According to Massingue, who was speaking at the event under the slogan "Building the Defence Industry for the Sustainability of the Defence Sector", Mozambique advocates a favourable environment for the defence industry, with "adequate" funding mechanisms, incentives for research and technological development and strengthening the professional skills of the national workforce.
For the CTA, Turkey's experience in modernising its defence industry, with the integration of technologies and the creation of local solutions, is "inspiring" and offers valuable models that Mozambique can adapt to its reality: "your historical resource, vectors of innovation and emphasis on local skills are the essential reference for our country".
On the occasion, the Mozambican Minister of National Defence, Cristóvão Chume, also acknowledged that building a defence industry in the country is not just an economic or military objective, but a matter of "national sovereignty", as well as encouraging institutional sustainability and the creation of strategic reserves.
"The forum we are starting today is not just an institutional meeting, it is a far-reaching strategic platform designed to respond to the demands of a global, regional context that increasingly requires the continuous strengthening of the defence and security forces," explained Chume.
It is also a "privileged" space to affirm "solid and mutually beneficial" partnerships that promote innovative technological solutions and consolidate commitments that strengthen the operational, industrial and strategic capacity of both nations, he said.
"May this first forum be the first of many regular meetings consolidating lasting, strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of defence and security and may the fruits of this dialogue translate into more capable defence forces, a strengthened national industry and, above all, a safer and more prosperous Mozambique," added the minister.
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