Maputo — Mozambican President Daniel Chapo has declared that the meetings established with Ethiopian businesses during his official visit to that country are part of the African Union's (AU) agenda on the promotion of strategic economic and trade partnerships between African nations.
According to Chapo, speaking to reporters, at the end of his working visit to Ethiopia, the strategy is in line with Agenda 2063, aimed at the prosperity and integration of the continent.
The visit, he said, was marked by an intense political, diplomatic, commercial and economic agenda, with concrete progress in deepening bilateral cooperation.
According to the President, the meetings held with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, confirmed the political willingness of both countries to deepen cooperation in strategic areas of common interest.
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"Unequivocally, both countries confirmed their political will to deepen cooperation in strategic areas of common interest, namely defence and security, agriculture, science and technology, and aviation, with subsequent steps agreed upon for their immediate implementation,' he declared.
The visit included trips to key institutions for Ethiopia's economic and social development, notably Ethiopian Airlines, the AMG Industrial Park, and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, experiences that, according to Chapo, could serve as a reference for Mozambique.
"We had the opportunity to learn about Ethiopia's policy formulation and strategy mechanisms for rapid economic and social transformation, instruments that constitute an important reference that can inspire Mozambican reality,' he said.
The presidential trip culminated in the signing of six legal instruments on bilateral cooperation, covering areas such as Defence, Training, Tourism, Urbanization and Housing, Health, Civil Aviation, and Digital Transformation.
The President also highlighted the meeting held with Ethiopian businesspeople, emphasizing the role of the private sector in boosting the economy and creating jobs.
"We recognize the role of the private sector in economic development and job creation. We had a fruitful meeting with businesspeople who expressed great interest in exploring Mozambique's potential", he said.
For his part, the Minister of Economy, Basílio Muhate, revealed that approximately 20 Ethiopian companies that participated in the meeting with the President generate about 200,000 jobs and have an estimated annual turnover of 20 billion dollars.
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According to Muhate, these companies could represent investments of around 1.5 billion dollars for Mozambique in the next three years, if favourable conditions are created for their entry into the national market.
"We can therefore affirm that this visit concludes with an expressly positive outcome, opening a new page in the historic relaunch of cooperation between the two countries", he said.
