Chapo invites Chinese businesses to invest

Maputo, 19 Apr (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Friday presented Mozambique’s economic potential to businesspeople from the Chinese province of Hunan and invited them to invest.

He was speaking at a working breakfast, in the city of Changsa during a Sino-Mozambican Business Forum, as part of his state visit to China.

Chapo stressed that Mozambique is a safe and attractive destination for investment with opportunities in such sectors as energy, agriculture, tourism, infrastructures, mineral resources and technology.

“Our geographical location gives us a unique strategic advantage”, he claimed. Mozambique was “a natural logistical platform in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region”, linking the African interior to global markets through the Maputo, Beira and Nacala rail corridors.

Chapo stressed Mozambique’s agricultural potential, with over 36 million hectares of arable land, suitable for the production of a wide variety of crops. “We would like to invite the Chinese businesses that operate in agriculture to invest in Mozambique, which has arable land, water and excellent logistical conditions for exports”, he said.

He mentioned the country’s vast reserves of natural gas, which make it one of the ten countries with the largest reserves of gas.

“This is a country rich in gas and petroleum”, he said. “It is a country rich in mineral resources, such as titanium bearing heavy sands and graphite”. The required electricity was readily available through hydropower and gas-fired power stations, while wind and solar powered stations can also be built. Investing in power stations “is a guaranteed business in Mozambique”, he claimed.

Chapo also stressed that the government is also implementing legislative changes to attract more foreign investment, particularly for the development of manufacturing industry and for the creation of special economic zones, such as one centred on the northern port of Nacala.
(AIM)
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