Maputo hosted the Mozambique–Italy Business Conference 2026 on Monday, 8 June, an event marked by renewed calls for Italian investment in strategic sectors of the national economy, with both the Government and the Municipality of the capital advocating for a more balanced and long-term economic partnership.
Opening the event, Rasaque Manhique, President of the Maputo Municipal Council, presented the capital as a city open to investment, innovation and international cooperation. He argued that Maputo offers opportunities in areas such as infrastructure, mobility, sanitation, energy, tourism, housing and sustainable urban development.
“We want to encourage Italian investors to view Maputo as a city of opportunities,” said Manhique, adding that the municipality maintains “full openness” to working with both domestic and foreign partners in building a city that is “more modern, inclusive, resilient and competitive.”
Meanwhile, João Matlombe, Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, highlighted the country’s strategic importance in Southern Africa, emphasising its geographical position as a gateway to seven landlocked countries in the region.
“Mozambique has always been in the same place. The question is: why have we not transformed potential into reality?” he remarked.
Matlombe called for greater investment in logistics corridors, ports, railways, energy infrastructure and multimodal transport platforms, urging Italian companies to play an active role in Mozambique’s economic transformation.
“We want to grow together. We do not want Italian companies to develop on their own, but rather alongside Mozambican companies,” he stated.
The minister also argued that Mozambique has the conditions necessary to become a regional energy hub, citing natural gas resources as well as hydroelectric, solar and wind energy potential as concrete opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
“The market exists. What we need is to transform resources into energy in order to generate wealth,” he stressed.
For his part, Gabriele Annis, Italy’s Ambassador to Mozambique, reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to deepening economic cooperation with Maputo. He also read a message from Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, who described Mozambique as an “increasingly important logistics and infrastructure hub in Africa.”
According to the ambassador, Italy aims to lay the foundations for “lasting industrial partnerships” by providing expertise and technology in priority sectors, particularly infrastructure, logistics and critical minerals.
“We want to strengthen our economic partnership across all sectors,” the Italian Government’s message stated.
Text: Germano Ndlovo
