881122E GOVERNMENT HAS A PARTNER FOR THE ZEPA PROJECT
Niamey, 25 Nov (AIM) – The Mozambican government has already identified a partner to put into practice the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (ZEPA), located in the Pemba – Lichinga corridor in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa.
The information was revealed on Thursday by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Silvino Moreno, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) on Industrialization and Economic Diversification, which today brings together African Heads of State and Governments in Niamey, capital of Niger.
The Mozambican delegation to the summit is headed by the Prime Minister, Adriano Maleiane, representing President Filipe Nyusi.
“The ZEPA project is underway. We have created an office for its implementation. We have already conducted the first studies and identified the partner”, the minister said, without going into details.
However, according to the minister, next year there will already be concrete actions regarding the implementation of this project, which is part of the National Program to Industrialize Mozambique (PRONAI).
Launched by Nyusi in March, ZEPA aims to improve agricultural productivity and the development of agribusiness in the provinces of Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Zambézia. Specifically, it aims to empower small farmers to rise from the cycle of subsistence farming to agro-industry.
The project is budgeted at 43 million US dollars, provided by the African Development Bank (ADB).
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is expected to speak on industrialization and economic diversification on Friday morning. He is also expected to speak again in the afternoon, this time in the special session on the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA).
(AIM)
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