The President of the Confederation of Mozambique Economic Associations (CTA), Agostinho Vuma, believes that the covid-19 pandemic cannot be seen as the only factor contributing to the decrease in the volume of national exports in 2020 (23% compared to 2019) and points to other structural factors that constrain the competitiveness of companies and need to be immediately tackled.

Among the constraints, the President of CTA, who was speaking at the ceremony for the presentation of the Annual Exporter Award and the launch of the 56th edition of FACIM 2021, pointed out, among other factors, the persistence of market entry barriers; the deficient information on export markets, which hinders the engagement of national exporters in the global market; the cost structure of national companies, combined with the low level of innovation; the difficulties of access to financing; the deficiency of certification and compliance with international quality standards of national products; and the non-tariff barriers that hinder access to markets, among others.

Despite these challenges, Vuma praised the efforts that the award winners have shown to prove that with resilience, reinvention, and commitment, one can make a difference in a context of adversity.

With a view to alleviating the aforementioned challenges, CTA assured a few days ago that it will soon launch the Exporter's Club, a multi-sector business platform, independent and non-profit, to meet the needs of exporters and aggregate operators in a common advocacy front for a better insertion in the global market.

"We believe that the next edition of FACIM will energize the commitment of all of us in promoting and displaying to the world what, despite the pandemic crisis, we can offer to galvanize trade between Mozambique and other countries," Agostinho Vuma stressed.