118,000 jobs will be created by the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone project in the Pemba-Lichinga Integrated Development Corridor (ZEPA).

These are direct jobs, which will be added to another thirty thousand indirect jobs, in the areas of agricultural production, processing and export, and infrastructure construction, among others.

The announcement was made this Saturday, in Cuamba, by the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, at the launch of the project, which covers the provinces of Niassa, Cabo Delgado, and Zambézia.

The Head of State said that with the Pemba-Lichinga Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone project, it is intended to increase family income and guide small producers to agribusiness.

According to Filipe Nyusi, ZEPA will also contribute to the achievement of the five-year goal, projected for the growth weight of the manufacturing industry, from 8.5%, in 2019, to 9.8% in 2024, which includes the forecast generation of six thousand jobs.

The President called on the members of the inter-ministerial committee of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone project in the Pemba-Lichinga Integrated Development Corridor for greater involvement in the pursuit of results.

On the occasion, the president of the African Development Bank (ADB), Akinwumi Adesina, praised the commitment of the government of Filipe Nyusi, in the pursuit of actions for development and expressed the willingness of the institution he heads to continue to cooperate with Mozambique.

"Your vision for Mozambique, Mr. President, will enhance inclusive economic growth in the country. I am so looking forward to coming back here to see how the Pemba - Lichinga Integrated Development Corridor, especially Agro-Industrial Processing zone, will have transformed lives" - Adesina said.

The African Development Bank is the financial institution for the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone project in the Pemba-Lichinga Integrated Corridor.