Mozambique's Minister of Planning and Development, Salim Valá, has argued that large-scale investments in the country must generate more employment, create opportunities for domestic companies, and ensure the transfer of knowledge and skills to the national economy.
Valá was speaking on Thursday, 17 September, in Maputo, during the inaugural lecture of the Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Eduardo Mondlane University, held under the theme 'Research in Social and Human Sciences and Sustainable Development'.
In his address, the minister maintained that, when assessing large investments, it is not sufficient to consider the volume of capital deployed — it is equally necessary to examine the effects produced on the economy and society. "It is not enough to ask how much capital was invested. We need to ask: which national companies entered the supply chains? What competencies were created? What jobs were generated? What knowledge was transferred?" he said.
Salim Valá added that it is equally necessary to assess the effects of large investments on territories and communities, to understand what revenues will remain in the country, and what will be left in the economy once each project cycle has ended.
According to the minister, Mozambique possesses significant natural resources, agricultural potential, energy and mineral assets, development corridors, an extensive coastline, tourism potential, and a young population. However, he cautioned that the existence of these resources alone does not guarantee development. "Potential is not development. Transformation is the bridge between the two," he said.
In this context, Valá argued that natural resources must be converted into human capital, investment into employment, agriculture into productivity and agro-industry, infrastructure into markets, mineral resources into national value chains, and youth into a demographic dividend.
He added that public revenues must be converted into services and economic growth into more widely shared prosperity. In the same vein, he drew attention to the need for a closer link between economic growth and tangible improvements in living conditions.
According to the minister, an economy can grow and remain deeply unequal, just as it can attract billions of dollars in investment while generating few linkages with national companies. It can also export natural resources for decades without sufficiently raising the productivity of the majority of the population.
For this reason, he argued that the assessment of development must go beyond the analysis of economic performance. "We also need to ask: who participated in that growth? Who benefited? What jobs were created? What skills were developed? What territories were integrated? What national companies emerged? Who was left behind? And what capacities will remain after an investment ends?" he said.
The minister also addressed the need for a stronger connection between scientific research and public policy decisions, stating that permanent mechanisms for impact assessment are required — including observatories, public policy laboratories, longitudinal studies, accessible databases, and partnerships between universities, the state, businesses, and civil society.
According to Salim Valá, it is not enough to know whether a policy or project has been implemented. It is equally necessary to assess whether it has produced concrete changes, such as increased productivity, the creation of sustainable employment, reduced logistics costs, or improved living conditions.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/17/economia/investimento/salim-vala-defende-mais-emprego-e-empresas-nacionais-nos-grandes-investimentos/
