Businesspeople from Rwanda and Kenya are planning to invest a total of 100 million dollars (6.3 billion meticais) in various areas of development, with a view to boosting the economy in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
In view of the improved security conditions, the provincial director of Industry and Commerce, Nocif Magaia, revealed that 15 Rwandan and three Kenyan businessmen are expected to arrive in the next few days to assess the terms and conditions for starting activities in the agricultural sector.
“These entrepreneurs plan to invest in the areas of cotton production, agriculture, fishing, bottled water, meat and fruit processing,” said the source on Monday, 20 November, during the meeting of the Council of State Representative Services and Decentralised Governance Bodies, which took place in the city of Pemba.
According to the official, the recovery of security conditions in some districts of the province and the consequent stabilisation of the business environment are contributing to increased interest on the part of investors.
Cabo Delgado province has been affected by a conflict since 2017 that has terrorised the population. Groups of armed rebels have pillaged and massacred villages and towns all over the province and a variety of attacks have been claimed by the ‘arm’ of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in that region. The conflict has already caused more than 4,000 deaths (data from The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) and at least one million displaced people, according to an assessment made by the Mozambican authorities.
