“We are competing
for several measures and programs launched by financial multilaterals, to
reinforce our presence in Mozambique, with special emphasis on a project
financed by the Camões Institute and the Ibero-American General Secretariat,
with the aim of promoting the digitalization of small businesses. in Maputo”,
informed the president of the Portuguese Industrial Association (AIP), José
Eduardo Carvalho, during his speech at the Portugal-Mozambique Business Forum,
held on April 24, at the CCB-Fundação Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, which
served as the stage for the signing of a Protocol between the AIP, the
Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) and the CPLP
Business Council.
As part of its internationalization actions, “AIP has privileged the PALOP”, highlighted José Eduardo Carvalho, noting that in recent years the Association carried out several business missions to Mozambique and reverse missions, among other initiatives: “We also organized an entrepreneurship course , taught in person during an academic year with completely private funding to students at Escola Portuguesa de Maputo. In 2023, with Helpo, we launched a face-to-face training program in the Province of Cabo Delgado, for refugee students, financed by the Camões Institute. We transferred our operational directors to a difficult and risky job, but we did it with enthusiasm, making it possible to set up 20 new businesses in Pemba”.
The signed protocol provides that the two associations commit to encouraging investments in the countries they represent, establishing partnerships between businesspeople from the two countries and identifying business opportunities, in order to increase the economic and commercial relationship between Mozambique and Portugal.
This cooperation agreement reinforces AIP's role in defending the interests of Portuguese companies and will contribute to boosting the national business fabric, boosting the economy in a sustainable way and promoting the growth of associated companies.
“We all follow with satisfaction and pride the strong investments of our associates, GALP, Compal, Navigator, Visabeira, BCP, which transformed Mozambique into the 5th largest Portuguese direct investment market, with an amount of 1.7 billion euros”, said José Eduardo Carvalho to mention that “the health of that country's economy is assessed by its ability to attract foreign investment” and that “the volume of this investment demonstrates the confidence of Portuguese companies in the economy and in the stability of the Mozambican political system”.
“Although Portugal has constituted a unique case among OECD countries, in the evolution of its external competitiveness and internationalization, surpassing in a few years the weight of 50% of exports in GDP, it still has two challenges to overcome in this area” indicates the president from AIP: “Increase the export base and intensity; and diversify its export markets, which are heavily concentrated in four European Union countries”.
Therefore, “the intensification of commercial relations with the Mozambican market can help overcome this challenge, exceeding the 530 million exports and 79 million imports that our trade balance presents”, he concludes.
As part of the business mission organized by CTA, on the occasion of President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi's visit to our country, AIP also promoted another bilateral business meeting between a delegation of companies from Portugal and Mozambique, but on the morning of April 24th and at its headquarters in Lisbon. This session included interventions by the vice-president of AIP and the president of CTA, Jorge Pais and Agostinho Vuma, as well as others given by a group of businesspeople from both countries.
Among those present, highlights include Ecolog, an international leader in providing integrated solutions, supply chain and logistics, technology, construction, facilities management and environmental services, but also MZBETAR Engenheiros e Consultores, a specialist in engineering consultancy, as well as as well as Mozparks, which operates industrial parks.
The Mozambican delegation also brought officials from the Investment and Export Promotion Agency and the Mozambique Stock Exchange, as well as representatives from sectors such as Oil and Gas, Agroindustry, Transport and Logistics, Financial Services, Civil Construction and Export.
