Water infrastructure and agriculture emerge as priority sectors in the interest expressed by the United Arab Emirates in deepening cooperation with Mozambique, notably support for building dams to retain water and mitigate the impacts of flooding.
The information was given by the Mozambican Prime Minister in Dubai, during a briefing assessing the country's participation in the World Governments Summit, an event that also served to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two states and to follow up on understandings previously reached during high-level visits.
“It was important for us to return to give a status update and gauge the progress made on the commitments undertaken”, the Prime Minister said.
On bilateral cooperation, the Prime Minister revealed that, in the meeting held with the United Arab Emirates' Minister of Foreign Affairs, concrete interest was expressed in supporting Mozambique in developing water retention schemes, aimed at reducing the impacts of recurrent flooding.
“There was a very clear expression of interest in supporting Mozambique, above all in building dams that allow water to be retained, so that in future we do not again live through the same drama of floods”, she declared, adding that “it is still premature to put forward specific dates”.
The Prime Minister framed the summit as a privileged space for mutual learning and sharing of experiences among the participating countries.
“Whenever we interact with other leaders and governments, we find ourselves in a ‘win-win’ situation. We share experiences and constraints and learn how other countries have faced similar challenges, avoiding repeating the same mistakes”, she said.
In the same context, she highlighted the interest expressed in the sectors of digital transformation, agriculture and public governance, considered pillars of the country's sustainable development.
“Mozambique already has a Ministry of Communication and Digital Transformation, because we understand that it is not possible for a country to develop, these days, without investing in digitalisation, communication and artificial intelligence”, she explained.
In the agricultural sector, she revealed the existence of promising contacts with potential investors, following meetings held on the margins of the summit.
“The Minister of Agriculture held very fruitful meetings, from which very concrete investment proposals emerged. In the coming days, we will share with the Mozambican people the amounts and locations of these investments”, she said.
In the area of public governance, she highlighted the ongoing efforts to improve the quality of the State's service delivery to citizens.
“Our challenge is to ensure that every citizen finds in the State a reliable partner, able to deliver quality services”, she said.
The Prime Minister also mentioned Mozambique's participation in the launch of the World Investment Summit for Africa, the first edition of which will take place in Luanda.
“One of the central themes was how to turn existing assets into concrete value for development”, she explained.
On the domestic situation, she stressed the importance of peace and stability, particularly in the north of the country, as decisive factors for the resumption of investment.
“The terrorism situation affected our pace of development, but there is an improvement. TotalEnergies' lifting of force majeure is a clear sign that it is possible to resume investments”, she said.
She concluded by reiterating that adding value to natural resources, combined with peace and stability, could project Mozambique as a country of the future.
“We have hydrocarbons, mineral resources, logistics corridors, land and sea. If we know how to make the most of these assets, we can build a prosperous and sustainable Mozambique”, she concluded.
The press conference was preceded by a visit by the Prime Minister to the Consulate General of the Republic of Mozambique in Dubai.
The Prime Minister's delegation includes the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Albino; the Minister of State Administration and Public Service, Inocêncio Impissa; the Secretary of State for Technical and Vocational Education, Edson Macuacua; and the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Economic Affairs, Mateus Magala.
