The governments of Mozambique and Tanzania have revealed that they intend to organise a business forum in the near future, with the aim of boosting the capitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the two countries, as well as assessing the possibility of implementing cabotage services in the region.
According to the head of state, Filipe Nyusi, the meeting will serve to attract more investment in various areas and will serve as a space for the two nations to deepen and envisage the commercial gains that maritime movement [in the ports] will bring to the citizens of the two nations.
“We are already thinking of introducing cabotage between the Tanzanian ports of Dar es Salaam and Mtwara and the Mozambican ports of Nacala and Pemba. We believe that this move will bring some economic advantage to SMEs,” said the statesman.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday 3 July, Nyusi explained that “there are products that are sought after by Tanzanians who visit the city of Pemba, in Cabo Delgado province, such as cashew nuts, cement and zinc sheets”, which is why there is a need to expand the supply portfolio.
“There is a lot that Tanzanians need in Mozambique, so we should organise and take advantage of the business that may exist between the countries,” he stressed.
On Tuesday 2 July, the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, said that trade between her country and Mozambican President reached 3.6 billion meticals (57.8 million dollars) in 2023 and in the middle of this year it stood at 1.2 billion meticals (20.1 million dollars), which implies a downward trend.
“Tanzania has two investors from Mozambique who have created 650 jobs, while Mozambique has 16 investors from here, a situation that needs to be increased in a positive way,” said the Tanzanian stateswoman, quoted by the news portal The Guardian Tanzania.
“We are already thinking of introducing cabotage between the Tanzanian ports of Dar es Salaam and Mtwara and the Mozambican ports of Nacala and Pemba, and we believe that this move will bring some economic advantage to SMEs.”
According to the news agency, the president argued that cashew nut production is a key area for collaboration, as it has the potential for shared success, although it faces the challenge of pricing by international markets.
This week, Filipe Nyusi made an official four-day working visit (1, 2, 3 and 4 July) to Tanzania, following an invitation from his counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan. During his stay in Tanzania, Nyusi met with senior officials with the aim of strengthening diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.
According to some publications, the discussions focused on the areas of education, security, infrastructure, mining, oil and the exploration of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique.
