The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, invited Chinese businesspeople yesterday, Monday (02), to appreciate the investment opportunities in the infrastructure, tourism, agro-processing and other industrial sectors to boost Mozambique's economy.

"I want to assure you that Mozambique is open. Use the dockers' principle that says 'the first ship to arrive is the first to leave'. So we shouldn't waste too much time, there are conditions for this (investment)," said Nyusi, in the city of Jinan, at the opening of the China-Mozambique Business Forum.

Cited by AIMThe Mozambican head of state assured the Chinese business community that the country would be open to receiving them, calling on them to be efficient and competitive.

He listed the opportunities in the hydrocarbons sector, saying that Mozambique has vast reserves of natural gas estimated at over 200 trillion cubic feet, huge deposits of graphite, rubies and heavy sands.

In 2023, Mozambique's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 5.1%, which, according to Nyusi, shows that the country has good prospects for economic growth in the near future, and this year, projections point to 5.5%.

Nyusi went on to highlight the reforms implemented over the last three years, the simplification of procedures for repatriating capital, to facilitate the flow of foreign capital and encourage foreign investment.

"After hearing about the advantages of our geostrategic position and the endowment of resources that can be exploited economically, I consider the state of the economic situation and the business environment to be important factors that condition the confidence levels of Chinese investors," said the President.

On the subject of infrastructure, Nyusi stressed the importance of building roads, especially National Road Number 1, which connects the country from north to south, particularly in some sections, especially in the center and north of the country.

He also referred to the project to build railroads and ports, pointing to the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the new deep-water port located in the Matutuine district, in the southern province of Maputo, and a railroad system that, a priori, will directly serve three countries, namely Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

During his visit, the head of state will attend the 9th summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, following an invitation from his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jiping.

(Photo DR)