Turkey’s ambassador to Mozambique, Avni Aksoy, revealed on Thursday 30 November that his country’s government has 285 million dollars to invest in Mozambique, specifically in the areas of energy and infrastructure.
Speaking at the opening of the Mozambique – Turkey Business Forum, the diplomat said that the country has an attractive and open market for many investors, as well as good business opportunities in various sectors, which raises the prospects for development.
“Turkey is interested in the Mozambican market, and we are available to invest in priority areas. We have companies that are already established and developing their activities in the territory, especially in the property sector. We want to work together with the government and the local private sector to achieve sustainable industrialisation in the country,” he explained.
However, Avni Aksoy regretted the fact that his country is not on the list of countries exempt from the visa requirement for entry into Mozambique, pointing out that this has made it difficult for more Turkish businesspeople to arrive. “We are asking for the visa to be extended so that more investments can be made,” he said.
Present at the event, the president of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), Agostinho Vuma, recognised that trade relations between the two countries are solid, recalling that Turkish investment reached a record high in 2017, when it stood at 90 million dollars.
“Over the years, we have witnessed Turkish investment in the tourism, energy, agriculture, infrastructure and mining sectors. However, we realise that there is room to expand and diversify it further in the various economic sectors. In terms of trade flows, it should be emphasised that in 2022, the volume of trade between Mozambique and Turkey was higher than expected,” he said.
On the same occasion, he invited Turkish entrepreneurs to invest in renewable energy in Mozambique, considering the challenge of universal energy access by 2030, and the potential of natural resources, including the extraction and processing of critical minerals such as graphite.
“In the wake of deepening the establishment of business partnerships, and bearing in mind that one of Turkey’s most imported products is construction materials, we believe that there is a market for Turkish investment in this specific segment, as the country aims to expand and make housing more accessible to the population, especially young people,” he concluded.
