The Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on Thursday, May 4, classified security in Cabo Delgado, a region in northern Mozambique affected by an armed insurgency, as “extremely important” and pledged support for stabilisation efforts.
“This is extremely important also for the operation of Japanese companies in northern Mozambique,” he said in Maputo at the final press conference of his tour of Africa.
Japan’s Mitsui is part of the consortium led by TotalEnergies that in 2021, due to armed attacks, had to suspend the largest private investment in Africa: 20 billion euros to build a natural gas exploration and liquefaction plant in Palma, Mozambique.
Other Japanese firms are involved in the investment chain related to the project.
“The Government of Japan is also willing to boost efforts to restore security and we are already committed to providing financial support,” the Japanese ruler said, without adding further details.
The armed insurgency has been going on since 2017, with the Islamic State claiming some of the actions in recent years.
Mozambique has received troop support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) since 2021 after the Palma attack, and security has been re-established in a perimeter around the industrial zone’s shipyards, persisting in other places.
Fumio Kishida had already pointed out Mozambique as a partner to build a free and peaceful region: “we will work to strengthen the peaceful use of the sea and connectivity under a new plan for the free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said, while highlighting key points regarding the countries he visited.
“The development of the Nacala port”, in the north of the country, with Japanese involvement, “will contribute to connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region and has the potential to boost growth in Mozambique and the surrounding region,” he exemplified.
These are signs of investment, with a clear reflection in the delegation that accompanied Kishida: “right now, a joint public and private mission with over 50 participants is here visiting Mozambique,” he emphasized.
The leader of the Japanese government said that the future is based on the idea of “expanding the relationship with Mozambique,” including within the Tokyo International Conference for the Development of Africa (TICAD), in which the country has been participating.
“In Southern Africa, Mozambique has potential and resources,” he said in the capital, where he ended a tour of Africa that included Egypt, Ghana and Kenya. “We will strengthen economic relations with these important economic centers in Africa and promote the entry of Japanese companies,” he concluded.
