Portugal's Competition Authority (AdC), headed by Margarida Matos Rosa, and Mozambique's newly created Competition Regulatory Authority (ARC), headed by Iyacumba Aiuba, have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at "establishing a framework for bilateral collaboration between the two institutions, with a view to defending and promoting competition in their respective countries".

According to the PCA statement quoted by the newspaper Diário de Notícias de Portugal, this agreement "aims to respond to the mutual interest in establishing a cooperative relationship based on the sharing of technical expertise and experience in the various fields of defense and promotion of competition".

Both institutions share a commitment to strengthening cooperation at a time when competition policy can significantly benefit citizens and businesses.

The president of the PCA, Margarida Matos Rosa, said that "both institutions share a commitment to strengthening cooperation, at a time when competition policy can significantly benefit citizens and businesses".

"The current context of economic recovery, inflation, digital and environmental transition requires an effective competitive environment," added the head of the Competition Authority at the signing of the cooperation agreement between the two countries' entities.

The president of the Mozambican Competition Regulatory Authority, Iacumba Ali Aiuba, pointed out that "although this entity was created in 2013 by the Competition Law, the strengthening of cooperation with the PCA, and at international level, is particularly significant for the ARC, especially in this phase of full implementation of competition policy in Mozambique and institutional consolidation, which only began in 2020."

As a result, he said, "the aim is to take advantage of the occasion to immediately define concrete actions that have already been identified to materialize the agreement in the area of technical assistance, training for ARC staff and other relevant institutions and joint events".

In the note released by the PCA, it is also stated that "the exchange of non-confidential information on legislative investigations and developments, studies on the competitive environment and the promotion of training activities are provided for in the protocol".

The statement said that "both institutions are part of the Rede Lusófona da Concorrência, created out of the recognition of the importance of competition for economic development", which aims to "promote technical cooperation between its members, with a view to creating and consolidating the foundations of competition systems along the lines of good international practice".

The Lusophone Competition Network was established by the Rio de Janeiro Declaration in 2004 and its members are the entities responsible for competition issues in Portuguese-speaking countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor, concludes the PCA.